Exit Strategy
by Crackalive
Summary: He must escape this world, killing and manipulating those in his way. But... will he be able to follow his Exit Strategy? Will he pay the cost? You have never read anything like this before!
1. Part 1: Infiltration

**Exit Strategy** by krakonfive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it? One single character of my own creation. Science fiction themes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**New chapter **every Thursday.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

UPDATE 20/04/2013: This chapter is slated for a rewrite. Polishing and bringing it up to the quality of later chapters.

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**PART 1**

**I-INFILTRATION**

Sensation hit me.

Electrical signals ran up nerves that didn't exist moments earlier. A newly formed brain scrambled to translate them into meaningful information. My skin was still deciding on its definitive shape and thickness when I found the controls to my eyelids.  
It took a while for my pupils to accommodate to the ambient light, shifting the scene from blinding white to an array of greens, browns and blue. My freshly created physical form crumpled and fell. I waited as the major muscle groups were connected to the central nervous system, a confused mess of conducting organics at the moment.

Translating from an electronic ghost to a solid body wasn't pleasant. I had dived blindly into a random simulated universe to escape my pursuers. So far I seemed to be well hidden. My mind hadn't been frozen, warning messages weren't popping up in front of me and my memory seemed intact.

I watched as my newest incarnation twitched helplessly on the floor. With no time to spare, I had skipped the character selection menus and let the simulation choose for me. A thin, white arm crossed my field of view. Ah, as expected. I had a generic male body; black hair, green eyes, eighteen years old. No special aptitudes, no augmentations or modifications of any kind.

I wrestled my muscles into submission. The air was pure, with only hints of smoke and manure. Standing up slowly to find my center of gravity, I found myself in the middle of a farm, with a barn far to the right and trees receding in an arc behind me. A cottage was visible behind the curve of a hill, smoke trailing from a chimney.

Well, there was worse for an initial spawn point. I sat back down, closed my eyes and ran through a standard checklist. I tested the simulation's responses to various input, both from my physical and electronic self. I was quickly disappointed.  
While this simulation was astounding in its realism, taking care to render the motion of individual tree leaves and portray smoke accurately, I had no access whatsoever to the many tools and programs I had grown accustomed to. No retinal display, no augmented reality pointing the way, no tutor to explain how this world functioned. Hell, there wasn't even a clock! Did it expect me to tell time by looking at the sun?! I closed my eyes again, dissociated myself from the background noise of touch, temperature variations and autonomous muscle contractions and continued my testing.

* * *

An hour later, a cold, shivering and naked teenage body got up and glumly looked around before taking a few steps, changing direction and heading for the cottage. Maybe it contained clothing, I wondered.

* * *

I cursed at the gusts of wind randomly chilling my body and making it shiver uncontrollably. As I walked, I tried to access the simulation's code and build myself a way out. However, with my rushed and … slightly forced … entry, I hadn't obtained any kind of administrator rights. I nearly panicked when I found no menu at all, but calmed down when the simulation responded to the usual hacking methods.

I eventually managed to find a way in through the physics engine. All I found was encrypted gibberish, but given enough time, I'd make sense of them and be able to start making modifications. For example, I could create a big EXIT button.

I was about to prod and poke left and right when my body pulled me out of the hacking attempt. I grumbled. Immediate problems first, becoming God second.

* * *

I arrived … several moments later (damn sun didn't come fitted with a 24 hour display) ... at what looked like the edge of the farm. The ground became harder and grass grew on its unbroken surface, tickling my toes. For an electronic spirit with no toes to speak off, the sensation was just … annoying. I blocked it out.

* * *

The sun was setting as I came in view of the cottage I had spotted earlier. Just another medieval setting, I thought. The primitive wooden construction I saw reinforced the impression. The cottage was even fitted with a stereotypical thatched roof and flowers growing in pots under the windows. I circled the cottage. It looked inhabited.

I knocked on the cottage`s wooden door until my knuckles hurt. "Coming!" a voice cried, followed by slow, plodding footsteps. The door swung to the inside, revealing a fire-lit interior of painted walls, a small wooden table with two crudely shaped chairs, a mattress next to a wall and…a wide eyed NPC. She was old, ugly and had wrinkles running rings around her face. I thought up of a name and initiated a conversation.

Me: Hello! My name is Maki Kenobi. Do you…

Ugly NPC: AAAARGH!

Me: I need help regarding…

Ugly NPC: AAAARGH!

Me: Oh well.

Ugly NPC: AAAARGH!

The usual formal requests for help from a NPC had given no results. Maybe she didn`t have any programmed behavior beyond what was currently on display. I decided to take the alternative approach to NPCs.

I gave her a straight kick to the stomach. She crumpled to the floor, wheezing. I stepped into the cottage before stamping down on her chest. It wasn't strong enough to incapacitate so I positioned myself for a kick to her head. She flailed on the floor like an overturned bug. That's what NPCs were in the end; nothing more than bugs. A mouthwatering smell originated from a pot boiling on a fire. Hunger wasn't new to me, but to be reminded of it after so long without a body … I remembered the lady. I kicked the back of her head, hurting my toes. Her forehead was slammed into a table leg, knocking her out and making her bleed from a cut.

I frowned. Bleeding? Defenseless old lady? I felt uneasy. Simulations either made defeated characters pop like balloons and disappear, or explode in showers of unrealistic blood and gore. It helped dissociate between simulations and reality. That way the violence didn't carry over once you left a simulation. Right now, it just looked like I had assaulted a weaker person to steal. I felt guilty, and now slightly sick at the sight of blood. I looked away, moved over to a wooden chest, opened it and started rummaging for clothes.

* * *

It took me very long to find suitable clothing among the piles of clothes. They were neatly folded but most were meant for an old lady. I went through them as I ate the contents of the pot. Boiled vegetables... I plucked them from the boiling water one by one. The pain wasn't real. The red fingers would heal, I told myself.

I eventually managed to acquire loose fitting trousers, a straw hat, two shirts of black wool, a pair of worn leather sandals, a large woolen jumper and a white towel. As much use as a towel had, in any universe, I used it for makeshift underwear. I dusted a worn backpack and stored my findings. I added whatever food I found, bed sheets, two folded shirts and a purse full of coins. I felt sorry for the old lady, still breathing with ragged gasps behind the table.

I shook my head. No, she was a virtual construct populating a fictional simulation, while I was a real person with an objective. I stepped over her while leaving.

* * *

Night had fallen before I set out again. The moonlight was bright enough to follow a dirt path. It had the characteristic central hump of medieval roads, flanked by two pits shaped by the passage of horses and carts. My thoughts drifted back to the woman. Maybe I was wrong to beat her without warning. Should I turn back and …? I forced myself not to look back.

I formed a mental list:

-1) Get out of here

-2) Get a place to stop and rest, sleep if possible

-3) Contact another NPC

I scowled. Okay, contact another person. I had plans for all three. The last one seemed easy. Just continue following the path, avoid beating up people, and I`d eventually reach a village or at least another traveler using the road. I wasn`t hearing any howling wolves or any rabid animals, so I supposed setting up camp on the side of the road took care of point 2. That left the first point, and involved a bit of long term planning.

I could either rush and force myself out, or take my time and prepare a proper exit. The first involved breaking the simulation, either by defeating its purpose or leaving it unable to operate. Examples would be burning the artwork in a gallery, crushing every building in a city simulation, killing all the main characters of a story… The result would be a simulation without meaning, causing it to shut down.

The second method required decryption of the lines of code had found, translating all relevant files and modifying them to create an exit button.

Both methods would eject my electronic spirit back into reality. Hopefully, the Jupiter System Police would have lost track of me by then.

I thought back to the old lady. While I didn't want to go a rampage of death and destruction, I didn't have much time.  
Simulations ran at a faster rate than real life, but it would add up. I had to extract myself from my temporary shelter in this simulation within one year of subjective time, or 28 days outside the simulation. If I was too early, I'd reveal myself to my pursuers. Too late, and I'd miss the next transmission into the Inner System Network and have to wait around with my hostile friends for seven months. I shivered when remembering the harrowing chase over Jupiter's Orbital Communications Network. I had only survived thanks to some illegal duplicates I had prepared in advance. Now I had none left.

I wondered. How to know which kind of simulation I was in? How would I discover its purpose? I needed to dive back into the lines of code. My stomach rumbled, startling me. I had forgotten to eat. I fished out a piece of bread and cheese. The bread was rock hard, so I threw it away. One whiff at the cheese ended my hunger better than a three course meal. I threw it alongside the bread, then spread the bedsheets on the rocky ground and let my body sleep. My spirit never slept since my thought processes existed outside of the simulation.  
I returned to hacking. Maybe I could search for files detailing the setting.

* * *

I woke up next morning feeling as if someone had severed my spinal cord from the neck. It wasn`t a pleasant feeling, as I remembered from some violent simulations I'd been contracted to hack, but it was an accurate depiction of what I felt now.

My entire body was numb. All muscles refused to obey my commands, even to roll away from two sharp stones digging into my ribs. My stomach was clenched tight like an angry fist, burning with acid and hunger. I hadn't covered my body from the cold, nor did I think of lighting a fire. I promised myself to start taking care of this body. I might be stuck with it for a long time.

* * *

Hours passed before I finally wrestled my muscles into submission. They still reverted to uncontrollable trembling every now and then, but I felt enough control to try and stand up. I forced myself to drink some water and chew on the remaining bread. I packed the bedsheets with trembling hands and stuffed it into the backpack before moving on. Maybe a light jog would warm me up? My stomach refused more ill treatment, and as I forced myself on, it threw up in protest. I wiped my mouth and moved away. I spat a few times. I reviewed my nighttime discoveries. Walking was complicated and boring. I had to direct each leg into the correct position, watch out for variations in the terrain and do so again and again for each step. I reconfigured the controls to rely on the ingrained instincts the body came with. Now I was free to do something else.

I had patched together that I was indeed inside a story simulation. A simulation universe based off the works of a certain 21st century manga artist, Masashi Kishimoto. If I don't manage to create an exit, I thought, I'll have to end the story.

The fastest way to end a story was to kill major characters. I could kill all the villains and that would end all forms of conflict in the story. Without conflict, there was no story to tell. Therefore, the simulation would have nothing to do and would end, ejecting me back to reality.

I winced at what that implied. I would need to kill a lot of people. Was I capable of murdering characters I only knew by their data sheet? I quickly read through the information I had gathered during the night.

A few minutes later, I sighed in relief. The heroes faced a few well defined villains. I let myself have a little laugh. It wouldn't be too bad to get rid of the likes of Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. If I fought alongside Naruto and the others, I might mess up this simulation. My hopes were crushed when I read through the plot. That file was in two parts; I'd only managed to find the first half. It revealed that there had been a three year time-skip before the start of current events. Without knowledge of what was going to happen, I felt a bit defenseless.

I opened a few other files, hoping to find something that could give me an advantage. One title caught my attention: Chakra mechanics. It was part of a series of guides on how to role-play a ninja correctly. Might be useful in upcoming fights, I thought.

* * *

A few hours of solitary march on auto-pilot, along with a rising sun eased the frown off my face. The morning fog was starting to clear too. I finished reading through my current document then used my physical eyes for a moment. The outlines of a wall were piercing through the mist. I went back and sifted through a few descriptions of notable landmarks. Yes, I was approaching the Hidden Village of the Leaf, Konoha.

Just as a smile started replacing my frown, a commotion broke the silence behind me. Startled, I turned around before having to make a complete rotation to follow the source of the noise. A teenager, shorter than me, was following a silver haired adult, both busily chatting and making wide gestures. One wore an orange and black uniform, the other grey and red robes. Minor details. More importantly was the fact they had just jumped several meters above my head. They landed in unison before propelling themselves into another giant leap, covering well over twenty meters. They disappeared into the fog.

I ignored my jaw gaping at their acrobatics and compared what little I had seen with my memory of the descriptions. I grinned. That was Naruto following Jiraya. And they`d just used a regular chakra technique to jump much further than they naturally could. Meh. Call magic by any other name.

I started creating a character for myself, detailing my background history and reasons for being there.

* * *

I headed into Konohagakure, seeking contact with one of its inhabitants. The fog had dissipated, giving a clear view of the rocky cliff at the opposite end of the village. Four faces adorned it, tributes to the village's greatest heroes. The village itself was a bizarre mix of Ancient China and third world shanty towns. Some houses were fully wooden, with elaborate blue, green or red tiles on curving roofs. Others were thin walled boxes mounted on top of each other to form low rise buildings. A few had satellite dishes and electrical poles lined the streets. .

To enter Konoha, I had to pass a massive gate with a thick wall extending to each side. A reminder of the military function of this village, I thought. The chuunin guards noted my lack of forehead protector but also the appalling state of my clothing. They fell for my story on how I was a poor, wandering monk. Maybe they also noticed the smell emanating from my garments, so they didn`t search me.

I went up the main street, occasionally being surprised by ninjas hopping at impossible speeds up and down the street. Some even took to the roofs. I tried to ignore them like the rest of the villagers. Standing with my jaw agape would attract unwanted attention. It was when a trio of children flashed past and leapt onto a two story building that I decided to revise my plans.  
If jounin could put parkour experts to shame, my standard issue body with no fighting experience to strengthen it or speed it up was a huge hindrance to my action-oriented scheme. What sort of enemies might I have to face?! I might have a great deal of experience in hand to hand combat (time well spent in combat simulators as play-tester) but it was all in my head.

A surge of irrational envy made me put my hands together, form a seal and try to unlock the hidden power of chakra within me. After several minutes of attempted hidden chakra-unlocking, I gave up, glared back at the confused villagers and moved on. Okay, I was not bestowed with ninja-hopping skills, nor could I summon balls of fire or streams of water from thin air. What edge did I have? I might have to mess with the simulation soon and fix the problem.

* * *

Soon, I found myself comparing the prices of several early-opening restaurants with the small number of coins I possessed. I spotted two adult ninjas strolling in the opposite direction. One had long black hair framing a scarred face. He wore a flak jacket and two pouches on each leg. The other was blond and had a hita-ite around his left arm, flak jacket open to reveal a mesh shirt underneath.

They laughed at each other`s jokes, but even their leisurely pace looked like a brisk jog to me. They put no effort into it! Cursing my status of a weakling among a world of kung-fu wizards, I turned to buy whatever came first on the damn menu. I was going to break the physics engine and turn myself into Superman.

No sooner had I turned to face the closest restaurant were the two aforementioned ninjas on each side of me, kunai drawn, their merry expressions replaced by grim, hard looks. I hadn`t even heard them move before the dust was already settling. What had I done to attract their- I flinched.

"Stop it!" the blond snapped.

His eyes hardened at my confused expression. I was willing to retort a 'stop what?' but the sharp knife inches from my neck halted any witty remarks.

"Stop suppressing your chakra and reveal your identity" the man behind me growled.

He sounded like I was the one interrupting his uneventful evening. I didn't answer. There was no use explaining I had no chakra because I didn't actually belong to their reality.

"Are you a clone?" the blond asked, his tone now more suspicious than angry.

"He doesn't have Konoha insignia either!" cried the other.

I didn't know how they could be more threatening, but their bodies stiffened, the kunai got closer and their breathing tightened. In the face of the rising tension, I lifted my hands and tried a pathetic attempt at smiling. I didn't want to lose my body now…

"Gahoru, call for backup, I think we've uncovered an infiltration" the blond ordered his scarred companion.

As he spoke, his kunai moved slightly closer, probably unconsciously, towards my neck. The thought of permanent death and missing my deadline replaced all others in my head. Yes, I panicked at that moment. I immediately exited my body and rushed through the hacking protocols I had set up during the night.

I found myself within moments facing a wall of jumbled code representing the simulation's physics engine. It was generally discouraged to randomly rewrite essential pieces of code when you didn't understand what they meant, but the prospect of rotting in prison for years overcame my professional hesitations. I got to work, applying translations I had used for the information files to the lines of code before me.  
Incomplete equations and strange symbols started appearing. I compared them to the most common physics engines I remembered and started sorting the information into groups. Numbers from zero to nine soon appeared, adding more clarity, as did finding constants and separating them from the variables. I recognized a fraction. I expanded it and replaced the symbols with alphas and betas, easier for the eyes.  
Coulomb law! I looked around it. Magnetism! My mind raced. Kunai! Metal! Attract and repulse!

I copied the section and pasted it within my internal memory. I worked on the part of the code that described my physical body within the simulation. Just as I was trying to uncover spaces I could insert the new code into, the system hiccuped I had made a mistake somewhere and the effects were spreading. I froze then worked faster. Code rained as I processed it. I found a dozen similar spaces in the code and dumped the equation in them too.

I snuck a peek through my physical eyes. The two ninja were watching me, wary of my sudden stillness. The crowd around us moved away and made a circle. I went back to my code, trying to smooth out the transition between the original writing and my own insertions. Seconds later, the system froze again and bumped me out.

* * *

I jumped as the shock sent the wrong messages to my muscles. Both ninja were startled too, but years of training had drilled into them that a suspicious individual freezing when apprehended then jerking back to life was not a good thing. They rushed forward, ready to subdue me.

The hilt of the blonde's kunai slammed into my head, reducing my control over my already spasming body. Gahoru hadn't expected me to fall so his swipe went over my head. As my knees touched the ground, a kick knocked the wind out of my lungs. It was helpful in a way, since my diaphragm had locked up; the kick had shaken it back into motion.  
I had an internal laugh at how they had knocked me out and saved me from respiratory failure at the same time. The scene faded to black among the gasps and comments of the crowd.

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**AN:** This is a story I came up with after trying to find something that has never been done before in Naruto fanfiction. I've worked on this for nearly a month already, with the help of these three wonderful betareaders: **Hiichisai** - **Narutorox** -** Challa**.

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After these three first chapters, I will post a chapter per week. I have 10 chapters in reserve.

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This story gets better as it goes along. The main action starts at the end of these three introductory chapters. I hope you enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoyed writing it!

**Please view the other chapters too!**

* * *

First off, a big thank you to all those who reviewed. To keep the added wordcount short, I'll just answer some issues you have raised.

**Yamamato: **I am trying to improve my writing. This is not my native language. As for Kenobi, it is implied that he has visited and worked on many simulations before, so it is easy for him to feel detached from the fake reality around him.

**xthemuffin:** His plan is to destroy the simulation's purpose by ending the story. The method he has chosen is to kill all antagonists (Orochimaru, Akatsuke ect.) Without them, there is no more tension in the story, thus no point to continuing the simulation. As for the nature of the person assuming the identity of Kenobi: it's an electronic spirit... which is a fancy way of saying that a person uploading his consciousness into a computer, leaving behind any physical presence to become entirely digital.


	2. Part 1: Interaction

**Exit Strategy** by krakonfive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it? OC x Canon Naruto Shippuden. Science fiction themes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**New chapter **every Thursday.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

UPDATE 20/04/2013: This chapter is slated for a rewrite. Polishing and bringing it up to the quality of later chapters.

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**PART 1**

**II-INTERACTION **

I woke on a cold stone floor.

Or should I say, my body finally answered my frantic commands to move. Being knocked out in a simulation was very unpleasant. I could think but not move my body. With my eyes closed and hearing numbed, it became quite boring after a while.

I spent the time reviewing the lines of code I had modified. The simulation had kicked me and wouldn't let me back in. I really wanted to test the results of my modifications.

I flexed my fingers and tried opening a heavy-lidded eye … before regretting it. A bright light seared the retinas in a flash of white pain. I blinked several times as my pupils tightened to accommodate. Pain signals were easy to block out, I just had to remind myself that they weren't real. However, when they were unexpected, their full force hit me.

A voice ended my train of thought.

One guard spoke to the other in a hushed voice. They looked like guards. I hoped they were. A rough-looking man, bulky, bald and wearing tight-fitting black garments covering him from neck to toe, leaned on a wall to the left; a purple haired woman stood to the right, wearing identical clothing. While they didn't look like ANBU or any of the elite ninja I had read about, their demeanor was efficient, precise … dangerous. Iron bars adorned by three different colored tags separated us. They probably suppressed any chakra I could have. I sat up, opened my mouth and was going to -

"Keep quiet." the woman ordered in a harsh, nearly manly voice.

I froze then gave up on attempting conversation. This wasn't about interacting with NPCs anymore. Being in prison would massively delay my plans. I tugged at my restraints, trying to devise an escape method when I suddenly gasped.

I could _feel _the metal bars.

The touch was ethereal, like interacting with the simulation itself. I extended my touch to encompass them. Once in my grip, the bars felt like brittle twigs. I felt that a brisk movement would snap them, so I caressed them as lightly as I could. When I got used to the signals from my newest sense, I extended my mental hands further out. Shuriken, mesh armor, then metal piping, iron walls and copper-plated ornaments came within my touch. The bounds that held my wrists together were metallic too. I closed my eyes to concentrate. Around fifty meters to the right, two meters lower, I could feel a long, flat sheet of metal. I poked it lightly, making an indentation. I quickly pushed the opposite side to undo the deformation, but I put too much energy into it and the sheet of metal was ripped off and lost from my grip. I hastily caught it in mid-air, crumpling it like paper. I frowned. It was hard to control the correct amounts of pressure.

I trained for a while, a smile spreading as I thought of the various uses for it. I hoped no-one noticed the pieces of metal twirling in mid-air while being bent into various shapes. Pushing and pulling the metal gave me a tingling sensation. If I used too much force, it hurt. Just like my ability, the pain wasn't physical. I couldn't block it out, just endure it. I carried on my experimentation gently, avoiding hurtful uses of force.

After a while, I shut out my eyesight, touch, smell, even my new sixth sense to focus on hearing. I heard two pairs of footsteps passing by the room along what I supposed was a corridor. Twenty minutes later, the same feet walked by again. I followed them until I couldn't hear them anymore then switched to feeling for any metal they carried. I sensed several kunai and shuriken in pouches, and one even had studded ears.

Under the wary gaze of the two guards, I prepared my escape.

* * *

A … very long time (damn I needed a clock) later, I was ready. Behind the entrance of the prison cell, a floating knife was pointing at the guard's head. The metal never slipped from my control as I positioned it from the tray next door. To their credit, the guards never relented, watching all of my movements.

* * *

I opened my eyes. The conversation between the guards died down again, and the woman gave me a sharp gaze. I tried a smile, but all they did was frown.

"I'd like to go to the toilets, please?" I asked politely. Time slowed down.

The purple haired woman's mouth opened, tongue rising to shape words. Her chest lowered to expel air. I pulled as hard as I could on the knife outside the prison cell. I winced at the spike of pain from the effort. The target was the woman's head, but the impact with the wooden door deflected the projectile. A split second before it could miss, I corrected its path. A slightly bent knife embedded itself in the back of the female guard's throat.

Time sped up. The man formed a half seal and pointed towards me. I waved my hands to flatten the metal bars and spread them into a solid wall. Immediately afterwards, it was battered by a blast of water, bending it, the newly formed shield, inwards. I jumped backwards, breathing heavily. My breaths reverberated in the closed and now dark cell. I heard a faint gurgling sound and the man called for assistance.

I had to be quick. I kicked the air in the man's direction. The wall of metal slammed into the male guard, knocking him off his feet. Light flooded back into the cell. I shaped the metal into a hand, picked him up and pinned him against the wall. He struggled so I pushed even harder. Again, I went too far and I jumped at the sickening sound his bones made.

Looking down, limbs trembling from adrenaline and dizzy from the painful use of my abilities, I saw the purple haired woman on her back. A pool of blood spread under her neck as she looked up at me, helpless. Her spine was shattered. I felt sick. Maybe the medical ninja could heal her? No, they couldn't, not in the time she had left. I felt sorry for her. I pulled the bent knife through the top of her skull. Nearly slipping on white bits of brain, I ran out.

* * *

My heart was pounding as I engaged corridor after corridor. Two guards appeared around a corner. Instinctively I pulled everything I could in front of me for protection, eyes closing against my will. Once I forced them back open, I saw a dozen bloody pieces of metal levitating in front of me. Their owners slumped, bleeding from holes gouged through their bodies. The shuriken had been pulled through their bodies from pouches on their backs. I didn't have time to be sick at all this killing. I would have spared them if I could have. I looked back at the still corpses. I chose a clean kunai and accelerated it to my hand, catching it.

I continued at a slower, more attentive pace. Around five minutes had passed. I feared ninjas would start pouring in any moment now. I didn't feel confident enough in my skills to survive alert, trained combatants. Besides, my body was shaken, unused to such stress. I was running past door after door of locked rooms. I eventually reached a window. Looking out, I found myself two floors higher than the slanted roof of a building in front of me. I had to jump. I took a few steps back before directing my kunai to break the glass.

Just as the fragments hit the ground, I heard three, four, five… no, six pairs of footsteps! I couldn't take on that many ninjas! I sensed an important mass of metal around twenty meters to the right. An armory? I accelerated as much of it as I could at the incoming ninjas. The effort made me gasp.

More than a hundred individual pieces of metal, from the smallest kunai to long swords, flails and plates of armor, crashed through the reinforced, fireproof walls of the Konoha Prison Armory. They continued accelerating afterwards, flesh and bones like minor speed bumps. I looked back. Streaks of red trailed after broken bodies. I threw up. In the corner of my eye, a hand clenched and started making seals. I forced myself to jump in the middle of a bout of retching. Pressure waves gouged craters in the stone behind me.

I landed badly on the inclined tiles. I sprained my ankle, lost my balance and slid off the edge for a second fall. I fell on my back. Only the adrenaline kept me from losing awareness from the impact. I got up and sprinted away from the multi-storey prison behind me, ignoring my bruises, burning lungs and the pain originating from my foot at each step.

* * *

I only stopped when my heaving lungs started coughing. I collapsed in a trembling fit on the ground. I had lost a sandal and my clothes were full of dust and spots of blood. Struggling to crane my neck, I looked around. I was in an alley between two modest homes. I had avoided the main streets as much as I could. I guess it was hard to chase someone with absolutely no chakra, since several uniformed ninja hopped above me without stopping. I had taken the extra precautions of scrubbing my body with dusts to hide my odor. I couldn't do anything about kikai bugs under my skin though.

I leaned on a wall to get back up, and took several hard breaths to steady my breathing. I just got dizzy, blacking out temporarily so I slumped to a seating position, back against the wall, breathing hard.

I cursed my weak body.

* * *

By the time I got back up, the sun was a few hours from sunset. I stank of sweat, blood and vomit. The house I was leaning on had an open window on the floor above. I allowed a faint smile. Time for a change of dress!

* * *

I limped into the bedroom, metal once again stopping me from falling. I had managed to levitate a metal platform (the remains of a rain gutter I had squashed into a disk) and lift myself along with it. It pained me to do so. A hot bath had helped forget the muscle pains and the trail of dead bodies my escape had left. It was unfortunate but necessary... maybe.

I looked through a couple's wardrobe while I planned my following actions. The husband was about my size. I chose a tight black shirt with loose boxers then added a jumper and knee length trousers. A thick black cloak that dropped down to cover my feet completed my outfit. I took several changes of clothes which I packed into a bag. I was going to go downstairs to raid the kitchen when the door lock rattled. I ran back up and jumped out the window. The fall was much better receptioned this time.

I made my way to the edge of the village.

* * *

I was walking slowly on a main street when I passed Naruto and Sakura. They were bickering and the pink haired girl didn't go easy on the punches. I needed camping supplies and money to buy weapons, so I reviewed the shop prices to add up a budget.

* * *

I reached training ground number 24 as the sun was setting. It was a battered and pitted clearing in the forest littered with various weapons. The far end had a few scarred trees and bushes for cover. I decided to light a fire there. As I gathered wood, I pondered. How would I go about eliminating all the major villains in the Naruto universe, most of them high ranking criminals?

First off, I had to train hand-to-hand combat skills to survive a taijutsu encounter. No, before that, I had to iron out inappropriate defensive reflexes like eyes shutting and flinching. I would then have to find counters for the different ninjutsu techniques being used, and finally, a way to escape or at least detect genjutsu.

I clenched my fists. I could do it. I could research every technique described in the bits of text I had stored, form a method to negate it and train that before heading out. No, that would take too long. It would be better to find allies, maybe even join a team. What were the possibilities?

Of course, I sighed. Team Kakashi. They would be my best chance at attracting and killing the antagonists. Maybe I could fill in the spot next to Naruto and Sakura left void by Sasuke. With their help, I could escape from this simulation in no time at all, I told myself, grinning. So, I required a cover, a background history and a compelling application form. My grin widened. Challenges, I loved them!

I lit the fire by spinning a piece of metal into a log until the friction generated enough heat. I had no food and no camping equipment. As far as I knew, training grounds required permission to be used, and I would have to do some explaining if discovered. I evaluated my body's status. The sprained ankle was mostly healed but I was starving and thirsty. In short, I was in no condition to train. I waited until the moon was visible before heading back to the village.

* * *

Repeated thuds and splintering wood woke me up. I had spent the night on a robbing spree, going from shop to shop, stealing what I needed. The shops were closed and locked, but careful use of my magnetic powers allowed me to undo any form of protection. Locks were tricked into opening, chains split and shutters lifted out of the way. I had smothered explosions within thick hemispherical cups and cut alarm tags before they activated. They weren't serious defenses, but I wasn't infiltrating ninja shops either. I had returned to my improvised camp thirty kilos heavier.

I peeked through the bushes to see Might Gai and his favorite student, Rock Lee, training on wooden logs. Most of it involved elaborate combinations of punches and kicks that left a splintered mess on the ground. While they replaced the logs, Gai shouted encouragements and struck ridiculous poses. I shuddered at their strength. Levitating a metal platform, I left silently to a more secluded place.

* * *

Forbidden Forest, Area 38; as good a place as any to shape my physical incarnation into a more effective warrior. I went through my personal database of fighting styles before selecting the ones I was the most comfortable with. Slowly, I started playing out various techniques from Karate, Judo and some Aikido before moving into grappling and close combat techniques from zero G marines. Since regular punches and kicks pushed combatants away from each other in a micro-gravity environment, the various space marine agencies had to create a new martial art that emphasized on maintaining constant contact between attacker and defender. You had to stick very close to the opponent and put as much power as you could into elbow jabs and knee kicks with little room to maneuver. It would probably surprise most ninja I would face, and the main advantage in this simulation would be the possibility of interrupting hand seals before they could be completed.

Once I broke down the techniques into sequences of signals directed at different muscle groups, I dumped them onto a list, copied and pasted each sequence a few dozen times and put my body on autopilot. As expected, it followed the instructions like an automaton.

While my body worked up a sweat, I took full control of my magnetic powers. So far, I had gripped whatever piece of metal I could find around me and pushed it at the enemy. The most striking limitation so far was the pain it caused. It felt like being electrocuted at various intensities. Levitating on a metal platform only left a disagreeable tingling sensation in my fingers. On the other end of the scale, pulling on all the metal in the prison's armory felt like being struck by lightning. The most frustrating part was that I could not block it out or ignore it like the pain signals from my body. This _sensation_ originated from the simulation itself.

I sighed. Before I moved on to more refined uses of my power, I had to find its limits. To find my limits would require defining how much pain I could withstand. 'How troublesome' Shikamaru would say.

I created a test for control, distance, speed and power. In order, they consisted of trying to lift the smallest piece of metal, trying to lift metal of various sizes from as far away as possible, then calculating how fast my projectiles could go given enough time to accelerate and finally how much metal I could lift at once. The last one was a bit tricky to implement. I just didn't have tons of metal to try and lift. I switched it for an inertia test: given a projectile of a certain mass and speed, how quickly could I stop it? It took me the whole day to complete those tasks. By the end, I had stopped gasping and trembling whenever I exerted myself too much.

The results were interesting. I could control metal as long as it weighed more than a few grams. I could direct and accelerate metal in a circle a thousand meters in diameter. I was guessing at the edge of my reach, since I couldn't actually see what I was doing. I used thumb-sized lumps of metal to test my range, and tried staying within the forest, out of the reach of prying eyes. Within the kilometer, I managed to accelerate a kunai up to one hundred meters a second, but I was certain I could do more if I had enough distance.

I could lift any mass of metal, that is, if I was willing to support the sensation of holding a live wire in each hand. While testing with smaller masses, I found my control over them decreased with the weight. Deflect a shuriken-sized projectile at nearly right angles was easy, but at higher velocities or larger masses, I had to take into the account the curve in trajectory. My most important discovery however was that I could create magnets. I could forcibly align all the magnetic poles of a ferrous substance and turn it into a permanent magnet. I left that for later experimentation since I did not have enough metal for a noticeable effect.

My first substitute-ninjutsu was the acceleration ring. A projectile would only accelerate if I kept on pushing it. Since I couldn't accelerate it much in a short distance, it would be slow and I would have to keep up with a moving opponent by constantly changing trajectory. It also hurt as hell to try and push a projectile hard enough to reach a decent speed in a short distance. My solution was to accelerate a projectile in a circle up to a velocity where it became point-and-shoot. The delay between releasing it from my control and impact would be so short the enemy wouldn't have time to evade!

After experimenting a few hours with the technique, I found myself able to achieve the speed of sound in a relatively painless way. The disadvantage was that I needed several minutes of continuous pushing. In a real combat situation, I would be long dead before I reached a useful speed. I would have to adapt to this limitation.

* * *

It took three days for me to feel comfortable with my nervous responses. My body had been working for 72 hours non-stop, pausing only to eat and hydrate. A few hours of sleep replenished the muscles; it was time I spent creating various tools such as a telescope and a sound amplifier. One involved a large sheet of reflective metal to focus an image; the other used a three meter wide dish of the thinnest material I could control to act as a giant ear. On the fourth day in the Forbidden Forest, I took the next step in my training.

I had only existed for six days so far. Constant repetition of karate punches, judo throws and micro-gravity inspired elbow jabs didn't build up much muscle. Chakra-endowed ninjas could bring walls crumbling down with little to no effort, but I had to use sheer physical force for the same effect. I did not have time to run around pumping iron, so I had to rely on my magnetic powers to achieve the same effect as a chakra boosted body.

An idea struck me.

What if … I covered my arms and legs in metal, and pushed the metal instead of contracting a muscle for a punch? I quickly went through the advantages: more power, more speed, direct control from the mind … I instantly wrapped lengths of wire over my skin and made a few movements with my muscles completely relaxed. It was weird to control my body this way. Grinning, I tried a few martial arts sequences. I stopped when the wires dug into my skin, drawing blood.

I winced. How could I have forgotten? Apply a large force of a small surface and it'll cut through skin like a knife. I slowly removed the bloodied wires. The most affected were the areas behind the elbow, around the wrist and the area behind my lower leg; surfaces I pushed on the most.

As I wrapped cloth around the bandages, I had a second idea. I needed to spread the pressure; what if I protected my skin with cloth wrapped around all of my arms and legs? I would lay the wires on top of that protection instead. The wraps on Lee's forearms came to mind. I had to try that, but I didn't have enough cloth, and I still had to let my wounds heal. I lay down to sleep after cooking an instant ramen cup.

* * *

I tested the sound amplifier on my way back to the village. The large disk of thin metal vibrated with the slightest noise, resonating with the magnetic field of wires wrapped around another, smaller, disk of metal next to my ear. This forced the latter disk to vibrate and recreate the amplified sound. Currently, it was a mixture of insect chirrups, bird song, animal cries and creaking wood. I needed to devise a way to filter background noises. My other creation, the telescope, was a success. The main disk was a perfectly smooth sheet of iron that concentrated light onto a second mirror which directed the image at a screen. By modifying the curve of the main disk and the distance between the two mirrors, I could vary the magnification and focal point at will. It was however useless in a forest, so I couldn't test it properly.

As I flew between branches on my platform, I thought back to my intention of joining a team. Yes, it would be good to have allies around when I took down Sasuke, Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. Naruto had promised to bring back Sasuke; if I could help him capture the missing-nin as soon as possible, he could be inclined to help me take out the rest.

On the other hand, if I _killed _Sasuke while Naruto wanted to _capture _him, would that create a problem? I wondered if he'd even let me fight his rival at all, after all it was his personal problem and he'd already refused help before. Maybe if I met Naruto in person I'd get a better idea of how he'd answer.

I got bored of weaving through the trees and started cutting a path through the forest. I accelerated a few projectiles and shot them at offending branches, crushing them with the force of the impact. I then repeated the operation. I tried convincing myself that learning how to control the pain that resulted from the strong magnetic pushes was good training. My resolve did not last very long.

I reached the edge of the forest and levitated over the electrified enclosure, sped over the clearing and waited for a gap in the patrols. Looking over the wall with an improvised periscope to check for guards, I scanned the surrounding. When it was clear, I rushed over the obstacle, jumped to the ground, collapsed my platform into an inconspicuous sword and started walking away quickly.

* * *

**Yamamato:** He will learn the limits of his new abilities quickly and most of his development involves circumventing his weakness. Right now, he is less powerful than the average genin, and his raw strength is chuunin level when maxxed out. It is a hard limit.

**imsabbel:** I'm sorry you don't like it anymore. To answer your objections: Kenobi's trail of destruction ended at the prison. No-one witnessed the exact direction he took to leave, so the search was spread out. Without chakra, he could only be traced by smell or visual tracking. He covered himself in dust to remove the first possibility. He didn't take very long either to break into a house and assume a completely different appearance. Afterwards, he left for the forest, situated outside the village walls, for four days. It is safe to say active searches would have been dropped by then.  
On a secondary note, no, the prison escape is not forgotten and it is not an inconsistency. It will have consequences... in 15 chapters.

**xthemuffin:** He has no chakra, and his raw pushing/pulling power is quite weak compared to regular chuunins. The additional handicaps are that he cannot ninja hop, shunshin, sense enemies, stick to walls, walk on water or any of those things.

**Audemed**: I put a lot of time and effort into this story. I'm happier than you are that you enjoyed it XD


	3. Part 1: Human Relations

**Exit Strategy** by krakonfive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it? OC x Canon Naruto Shippuden. Science fiction themes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**New chapter **every Thursday.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

UPDATE 3/02/2013: I give in. I'll answer the reviews at the bottom of the chapters.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 1**

**III- HUMAN RELATIONS**

It was easy to convince unsuspecting villagers that I was one of them.

My first stop was a ninja supplier who dealt in uniforms and combat clothing. He accepted my requests without hesitating once he saw the expensive robe and the sword. Money flew from another customer's purse and into mine. I bought a few rolls of white cloth and a few pouches. I'd test my fight-by-wire concept later, now I needed to test my cover with Naruto. It was mid-morning, so I wouldn't find him at Ramen Ichiraku. Or maybe I would. I went there anyway.

I took directions from a group of hyperactive kids and hurried in the direction they were pointing at. On the way, I caught a glimpse of Ino tending to her flowers in her family's greenhouse. I was going to stop by until a squad of patrolling Military Police made me resume my steps in a hurried manner.

Walking up to the ramen bar, I found myself in luck. I spotted orange pants on a stool. I slowed down and approached as silently as possible to within centimeters of the curtains. My motion to part the fabric was halted when I heard a girl's voice speaking to Naruto, in hushed tones. I paused to listen. Sakura. I modified my prepared speech and burst inside.

"Aww ain't they _cute _together?" I teased, visibly envious.

Both ninjas turned sharply to glare at me. I had made an impression and opened them up for discussion, if only to deny my assumption. I stayed silent, waiting. A few seconds later, Naruto stammered and blushed, hand rising to scratch his mess of blond hair. Sakura switched to glaring at him instead. He lowered his hand.

"No missions today, am I right?" I asked casually.

"What do you care?" Sakura scowled.

"Well I was wondering…"

Sakura cut me off, annoyed that I found the two ninjas together and wishing to shorten the exchange. "Who _are_you? And what do you want?" she snapped.

Naruto looked at me, back at Sakura, glanced at his bowl of cooling ramen then said: "Is there something we can help you with? Sakura was just going to …"

"Leave!" Sakura reached for her bag and stood up. I chuckled.

"Don't you want to stay around? I've got a few questions, about …_Sasuke_."

Ha! Got their attention now! I repressed my grin. My audience was wide eyed and attentive. I adopted a serious tone, leaving them confused at the sudden change of mood.

"My name is Kenobi. I represent my village from the Land of Earth. We were attacked by the criminal; I am the sole survivor. I know of your past relations with him so I come to you seeking help for his capture."

I congratulated myself for the perfect delivery, head dropping in shame at the end. Sakura had sat back down. Naruto was staring at the floorboards. He looked up.

"How ... how many did he kill?" he asked hesitantly.

"Ten ninjas and four families. He was looking for chakra swords, a clan specialty. My family was one of the victims."

Naruto's head hung lower, eyes clouded by grim thoughts. Maybe in self-recrimination, after all he did feel responsibility for his missing rival's actions. His whiskers twitched. Had he reached a decision? Sakura now seemed more interested in the state of her companion. She touched his arm; he flinched. I pressed on.

"I … I am to seek an audience with the Hokage." I said. I spread my hands, palms face up. "I don't however have the money to buy a mission for taking down this missing-nin." Eyebrows arched, I awaited his answer.

"I'll go with you to Tsunade. But …" His expression was as fierce as that of a wild animal. "Sasuke is _not _a missing-nin."

"I doubt a ninja of Konoha engaging in murder as far away from his village is anything _but_a missing-nin." I retorted. I repressed a smile. In his state, Naruto would accept anything to negate my claims. He really did care for the traitor, I mused.

Sakura turned to me, distraught. "I'll go too. I'll convince Tsunade to mount a mission …" She looked to her right, past the open curtains. I turned to watch Iruka running down the street, wearing his usual attire. He stopped next to the ramen bar and looked at me before addressing his old students.

"Naruto, Sakura, you are to report to the Hokage immediately. You'll meet Kakashi-san; you have an…" He gave me a sidelong look and paused "…urgent mission".

Naruto slowly looked up. Iruka whispered 'Gaara'. The teenager jumped off his stool and prepared to leave. He started to run then looked back.

"Kenobi, come on!" he shouted, waving at me.

"Yes!" I answered before following Sakura out of the restaurant.

* * *

I used my magnetics to extend my jump and land on the balcony behind the pink-haired girl. Damn they were fast! Naruto was already climbing through the window.

Tsunade was standing next to her desk. Her fingers rapped on the wood surface, left arm tucked under her chest. However, she didn't seem in the mood to take advantage of her _considerable _bodily assets being enhanced by this position. Kakashi was already present and had taken a seat on the opposite side of the room, next to the door. Both senior ninjas were giving me curious looks. I understood that I wasn't welcome.

I straightened myself and headed to the door, avoiding their eyes.

"No, wait." Naruto said. He reached for me, tugging my sleeve.

"No, _leave_." the Hokage continued. "This is classified. I specifically asked for you and Sakura, why bring ... Who are you?"

I realized she was speaking to me. "Eh… Kenobi, from the Land of Earth?"

"I'll deal with you later. Wait outside."

"Sure." I answered politely.

I headed to the door. Kakashi stopped reading his little orange book when I passed near him, looking up at me.

"I … I'll explain, okay?" I stuttered before trying to hide my fake embarrassment with a nervous smile.

I shut the door behind me and dropped into the bench nearest the Hokage's office. I sighed. Now I had to explain my absence of chakra to Konoha's highest authority, all while changing the speech I had prepared for the woman to include the change of situation. A few minutes later, I had added a few mannerisms to my 'Kenobi' character as well as answers to possibly tricky questions. It would take at least a month before the information could be verified with the Earth since it would take even the fastest ninja two weeks to get there.

I jumped upright as I remembered my sound amplification technique. Ignoring the now familiar tingling sensation, I made a miniature meter-wide version to check for footsteps from both sides of the corridor. I then expanded it as far as I could in the confined space and faced the office, trying to pick up bribes of speech. Most were muffled by the anti-spy shielding. Naruto's exclamations and energetic outbursts eased the task somewhat. I learnt that Gaara, the host for the one tailed beast had been captured by the Akatsuki. Naruto was a friend of his fellow Jinchuriki, so he wanted to rush to his aid.

I thought hard. My initial plan of hunting Sasuke would be greatly delayed by Team 7's absence. I had to stay with them to get at the villains of the story. The Akatsuki had already started capturing jinchuurikis. Naruto might be the next one they'd attack.

Now then, what arguments did I have to impose myself into this classified rescue mission?

* * *

The door opened. I returned the amplifier dish to its original shape in a wave of pain. Kakashi turned to close the door. I resisted the impulse to sigh in relief, resting my hands on my knees instead. I stopped moving when the ninja sat next to me. He opened his orange book to a marked page.

"Is your chakra suppression intentional?" the jounin asked calmly.

"No, it is not. It is not hostile either."

"Care to explain?" Kakashi muttered, visibly more interested in a certain illustration.

"Well … this is the result of a secret weapon project, but since my village has been all _but wiped out_I need not care about revealing it."

Kakashi's eyebrow lifted. I continued.

"I am a failed attempt at creating an undetectable host of tailed beast chakra. I did not manage to contain the chakra, but the undetected part still works" I grinned, hoping he would believe my story.

"Land of the Earth, huh? I did a few missions there. What brings you here?" he asked, seemingly unimpressed.

"The same reason I can reveal my village secrets." I looked at him, hoping for a reaction. He was hard to read when his mask hid most of the revealing facial expressions.

The Hokage's door opened and Sakura ushered me inside. Kakashi stood up and followed me in.

* * *

"Naruto says you have information regarding Sasuke's whereabouts." Tsunade hammered the moment I entered. Her eyes turned to Kakashi for a second. He was probably gesturing the fact that I was safe.

"Well, uh, it took me two weeks to get here, so I don't think my information is reliable anymore." I answered. The tension was much thicker than when I had left; Naruto was fidgeting incessantly and muttering under his breath.

"What have you got then?" Tsunade asked. She seemed impatient. I silently thanked Naruto for pressing the issue with her.

"Sasuke stole my clan's ancestral swords, designed to channel chakra and cut through anything with little force. To do so, he killed 37 individuals"

Naruto flinched at the number. Sakura lowered her jaw then looked down.

"I do have information you will need to find him. In return, I demand a search party be formed for this individual to bring him to justice." Finishing with a call to greater good, I thought to myself. Classic.

Tsunade stared at me with her tired eyes. She didn't seem her usual confident self.

"I grant you your request. I was already planning to do so." she said in a flat voice, looking to Naruto before gesturing for me to continue.

"He acted on Orochimaru's orders. And I know the position of Orochimaru's hideout."

That was the last piece of information I had deduced from the documents in my internal memory. The silence in the room revealed how much that information was valued. Now to milk it for all it was worth.

Tsunade snapped out of the stunned silence first.

"Does the Earth Country know of this? Have they been withholding such vital information from us?" she demanded.

"No, I am acting on my own … the country I fought for could not protect us in return. Now I have no one. I do not feel any loyalty to the Earth anymore." I replied calmly, a few mannerisms such as shaking hands and shifting feet to show I was understandably uneasy with the idea of defection.

"Well …" she started before stopping to think. Tsunade was considering her situation. She could be offending the Earth if she accepted a defector. However, she could end the Orochimaru problem once and for all._Politics_, I mused.

The old woman made a decision.

"The Land of Fire will offer protection in return for the information you possess." she declared.

Humm. That wouldn't land me a spot on Team 7. I pressed on my advantage.

"I wish to join Konoha and accompany Naruto Uzumaki until Sasuke's capture" I stated, a few mannerisms to maintain the embarrassment.

"Well, usually it would not be ..." Tsunade started. She then frowned and straightened her posture for a proper refusal.

"He returned to the Land of Sound. He had three hideouts around Otakagure, but I know which one…" I said quickly, orienting her decision in my favour. The three hideouts was a lie, but the situation called for urgent measures. The woman hadn't hidden her interest well enough; I knew she would play into my hands.

"Fine. I'll speak with the council; until then you'll have to wait for Team 7 to complete their mission. I'll get you debriefed in the meantime …"

"No time. Orochimaru will move in less than three weeks. Travelling to the Sand and back will take a week. Travelling to the hideout will take another week. That leaves us with only a few days to prepare the operation. I'm sure that if I join them, the mission will be completed sooner and we could join the search party immediately after our return." I said quickly before realizing my mistake. Tsunade and Kakashi perked up at the mention of the Sand. How could I know?

"Which village did you say you come from?" Tsunade asked carefully.

"I used a few favors the Wind owed to my village to learn what had happened …" I gave a nervous smile. "I might have abandoned the Earth, but I'm not going to work against it by revealing the full extent of our knowledge of the affairs of other countries."

"In that case, go and prepare yourself. We are short of ninjas anyway; we need any help we can get. Kenobi, I want a detailed description of Orochimaru's whereabouts before you leave." She dismissed the three teenage ninja in the room with a wave of her hand before continuing: "Kakashi, I need to have a word with you"

Once outside the office, I hid a body-shaking shiver to ease the stress out. The multiplication of unplanned maneuvers and deceitful lies in such a short moment left a bitter taste. I couldn't think of going through all the implications in the little time I had, much less trying to find appropriate cover stories. Sakura and Naruto kept giving me sidelong glances as we strode down the corridor. It was annoying, couldn't the brats just ask out loud? As we prepared to go down a flight of steps, I decided to end the silence with a snide remark, maybe something on Sasuke to push Naruto's buttons. Heh. No, that would break Kenobi's character. I was a nervous ninja who had just defected to the enemy, whatever the sweet terms used by the Hokage.

"So, when do we leave?" I asked with a little laugh.

Naruto covered his grim mood by scratching his head and sporting a forced smile. Sakura sighed in exasperation at her teammate. She faced me to repeat the Hokage's directives for the mission to me.

"We leave tomorrow morning. We have time to buy the necessary supplies; I suggest a sealed tent and desert robes from the Ninja Clothing …"

I interrupted her by tapping her forehead protected, wrapped around her hair. She was startled at the contact but not familiar enough with me to start bashing heads. Was that a blush? No. Damn. I needed to get to work on making allies, I thought, before realizing I was just making excuses for hooking up with the first girl I'd met.

The silence had returned. Naruto was surprised by the lack of outburst from Sakura. I continued.

"I'm not an official ninja of Konoha yet. I might never be. For now, I can't buy anything from a specialized ninja store … I don't have the permission slips you two have."

I crossed my arms and looked away. Naruto had an awkward laugh.

"We'll all go shopping together then! Right, Sakura?" he asked. Maybe he was thinking of his previous attempts to get Sakura to shop with him, or do anything with him for that matter.

"Emm … okay" she said. Naruto suppressed a whoop of joy. Sakura bunched her fists and glared at him before smiling at me apologetically, embarrassed for her teammate's behavior. Had they already forgotten about their earlier distress or was this a well-rehearsed act to hide their problems and emotions? Nice act, I concluded. I counted the coins in my purse magnetically. Okay, that was a problem. Some coins needed to do some purse-hopping.

* * *

We ended the day at Ichiraku's Ramen. Naruto had insisted the whole time to get some ramen before the mission. Sakura had managed to strike a deal: he followed her instructions to the letter and they'd go for ramen as a reward. He tried his best to do so, but three bumps on his head showed he wasn't good enough.

I went through my bowl of steaming meat and vegetables much slower than my companions. My hand weren't used to chopsticks and I had to pay extra attention not to shower myself in sauce at each slurp. Sakura gave suggestions to Naruto on how to pack while they waited for me to finish. The phrase 'and don't forget to shower' was repeated often. I gave a silent laugh. Sakura was nearly _motherly_with Naruto. I cleared my throat before she hit him again.

"Thank you for today. You two have helped me greatly" I declared while grinning.

"No problem! We'll shop again another time, right Sakura?" Naruto was delighted as he turned to this teammate.

"Never again." she whispered before turning to me: "Where are you staying?"

"At your place!" I said cheerfully.

"WHAAAT…?!" she started, balling her fist and twitching her eyebrow.

I laughed at her reaction. Even Naruto gave a nervous chuckle. I corrected my _mistake _before my skull was split open.

"I meant… I have enough for a night at a hotel." I said, waving my arms to protect myself.

"Oh, okay." Sakura said as she calmed down, feeling humiliated for being provoked so easily.

"Wanna come?" I teased with a wink.

I had to leave my stool to dodge her chakra-fuelled rage.

* * *

I stared at the dark ceiling. No plan survived the battle. Today had been a perfect demonstration. I rolled onto my side. A backpack filled to the brim with necessities of a mission that could take up to three weeks long was propped against a table. On the table, bloodied wraps of cloth and metal wires reflected the moonlight. I ordered my body to sleep and confined myself to the detachment of the electronic realm that lay above the simulation. Halfheartedly, I tried breaking into the code with what little tools I had left. All requests were rejected. I mentally shrugged. I'd make-do with what I had already.

Human relations, I pondered.

Naruto was easy to read. Sakura hid her emotions better, but she was more fragile and doubted her decisions sometimes. Tsunade took her responsibilities seriously, but she was visibly obsessed with her former partner turned murderous traitor. Kakashi however was a featureless wall, I couldn't pierce him yet. I was certain the few words he had with the Hokage after I left was an observation mission, target: me. He would watch me during Gaara's rescue. This was crucial, since his opinion would determine whether or not I was to be trusted. Well… more than they already did, since allowing a recently defected ninja on a sensitive mission was already a massive breach of security. I hoped the letter I had prepared would comfort her.

My thoughts turned to the mission. I would have to face Akatsuki members, since they were the ones who orchestrated the attack on Suna.

In a few days I would confront some of the most dangerous individuals this simulation had created. Which of the ten members would I face? That wouldn't matter, I told myself. What would_I_use to face them? I reviewed the techniques I had developed. The telescope and the listening device weren't meant for combat. I'd use the wires wrapped around my limbs to stay useful in hand-to-hand combat. I'd deflect thrown weapons and push them back at the user with magnetic field. On the offensive, I'd accelerate kunai and senbon, if I got my hands on them. Overall, I would be useful without attracting attention, and most of all, I wouldn't hurt myself more than necessary.

I thought back to Kakashi. A confrontation with former allies was not to be excluded, so I had to decide what abilities I could reveal and which I should hide for later. Simultaneously, I couldn't let myself be killed in a fight because I was trying to hide the full extent of my power.

I decided to hide the acceleration loops and the levitating platform for the moment. That way I could transform into a long range fighter instantly. If I faced a former ally, whoever they may be, he'd be surprised by my change of tactics. The platform would let me escape most attacks, the high velocity projectiles would let me attack from afar.

Gah! I was spending more time on devising tactics to attack my allies than ways to fight my enemies! Forcing my thoughts to change direction, I spent the night thinking of ways to combine wire-pushed arms and legs with martial arts moves.

* * *

**Yamamato:** Kenobi planned his interactions with Kenobi, Sakura and the Hokage well before he spoke to them. In fact, he spends most of his free time planning for different situations. So far, he was only rushed to create a cover story by Kakashi's suspicions. As for Tsunade accepting Kenobi on the mission, it didn't go that smoothly. She initially refused, and only accepted when Kenobi pressured her by saying time was short and only he could find the hideout. Also, the following two chapters reveal that Tsunade didn't let him go freely.  
The missing periods following the italic words is a fanfiction bug.

**imsabbel:** He killed a few guards (10) then dissapeared without a trace. A completely different person returned five days later. Also, Kakashi and Tsunade are less likely to suspect Kenobi, accompanied by Sakura and Naruto and with a plausible reason for being there, would be the same person as the escapee. Background checking was ruled out when Kenobi stated that not only did he come from an enemy village, but he was also the result of a secret military experiment; something they could never check.


	4. Part 2: Suna

**Exit Strategy** by krakonfive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it? OC x Canon Naruto Shippuden. Science fiction themes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**New chapter **every Thursday.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

**AN**: The first major fight!

UPDATE 3/02/2013: I give in. I'll answer the reviews at the bottom of the chapters.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 2**

**I- SUNA**

Kakashi wasn't late.

We left the village at dawn, with Jiraiya to see us off. I stayed back while he bade farewell to his favorite student and had a short discussion with Kakashi. I got a friendly wave when he spotted me watch them talk.

The trip was mostly spent in silence, occasionally broken by Kakashi calling Naruto back to the group. The blond was worried for his fellow Jinchuuriki, which led him to speed up. For my part, I stayed on Sakura's level trying to get Kakashi to underestimate my real endurance.  
I now knew I could use my magnetic powers as long as I could stand the pain and the numbness that crept up from my fingers. My wires could extend my legs much faster than my muscles could do unaided, and did so effortlessly for hours on end.

When I wasn't calculating a path through the branches, I watched Kakashi. I wasn't able to catch the jounin watching me, but I knew he did. What I did manage to do was levitate three iron weights two hundred meters behind the group without being noticed. The weights would go into creating a combat reserve of metal for the duration of the mission, but I didn't want them to know that.

* * *

We stopped at nightfall. I crumbled theatrically onto the floor while Sakura seated herself correctly. Show-off... She was sweating and locks of hair stuck to her forehead. Kakashi directed the still energetic blond to collect wood for a fire. After a short while, three sleeping bags formed a triangle around a flaming pile of wood. The team leader had preferred to stay on a thick tree branch ten meters above ground.

Naruto was already snoring while I finished my rations. Sakura put out the fire before wiping herself with a wet towel in the dark. Towels were always handy. Not wanting to spend an hour removing my bandages and possibly revealing my wires, I chose to just remove my cloak and sandals before sleeping.

Kakashi woke Naruto then Sakura to take their turns watching the camp. He didn't attempt to wake me up, choosing instead to rummage through my bag. My suspicion of being under watch proved to be true.

* * *

We were back on foot as soon as the sun rose. We left the forest at around midday. At the rate we were travelling, I wasn't surprised cars had not been invented yet.

As we left the land of Fire and started feeling the heat; I was ordered to hydrate and apply sunscreen like the others, even if Naruto neglected to do and gradually developed a red complexion. I exchanged an amused glance with Sakura. Even Kakashi had run his fingers under his mask to apply the cream there.

* * *

We met Temari on our way. The blonde Sand ninja had been present as Suna's representative at the Chuunin Exams in Konoha. She was troubled by the news of Gaara's kidnapping, even more so than Naruto. Unlike him however, she didn't forget her turmoil and stayed brooding for several hours. The orange-clad genin sunk into a grumbling melancholy after his attempts at comforting her failed. Suddenly, he pulled ahead, fists clenched and eyes staring at a faraway point on the horizon. Kakashi didn't stop him this time.

When he returned, he gathered us with a troubled face. Sakura went for him to calm him. Instead, he revealed that he hosted the Kyuubi just like Gaara hosted Shukaku, and both were hunted by the Akatsuki for that reason. He despised the way Gaara had ended up as a sociopathic killer; he promised to save him and show the red-head he still had friends.

Temari was touched and her expression lightened. Sakura looked fiercely at Naruto, but it seemed less in anger than a resolve to protect him, somehow, from his attackers. I stayed away from the social drama, having nothing to contribute. Apparently Kakashi hadn't passed the information that I too was supposed to be a failed host for a portion of Tailed Beast chakra.

We arrived at the Hidden Village of the Sand, Sunagakure, on the third day. Our greeting was an angry woman wielding a puppet with strings made of chakra.

The old woman directed her puppet to leap at Kakashi, ignoring the rest of the team. Surprised at the elderly Suna next to the woman wearing official robes not doing anything to stop the attack, he prepared to defend himself.

Naruto was quicker than our assailant. Forming a seal, he cried "KAGE BUNSHIN!" before spawning tens of shadow clones. They rushed the puppet from all directions, fists raised and yelling various battle cries.

I watched the commotion. I sensed the metal joints that moved the puppet, feeling an urge to pull on them. I calmed myself instead and let waves of punching and kicking clones take care of the threat. Seeing the puppet in pieces, the Suna official whispered something in the lady's ear. She gazed intently at Kakashi before giving a cold laugh, excusing herself for turning senile. Apparently she had mistaken the team's sensei for his well-known father, a notable enemy to the Sand. Not that the Copy Ninja's reputation had anything to be ashamed of, of course.

Sakura had already sped ahead to the hospital. We followed her once our welcome party let us through.

* * *

Team 7's medical expert was hard at work. We watched as she drew the poison from Kankuro's body in a stream of black liquid. The nurses sighed once his vital signs stabilized, Sakura already directing the deadly liquid into a vial for later use. I'd helped restrainingKankuro during the extraction; Naruto looked lost but seemed glad to be of use.

Kankuro stirred. He opened a blood-shot eye, then another, groaning weakly.

"I … I have … a …" he mumbled between difficult breaths. A nurse rushed to his side, steadying him. Sakura was absent, creating an antidote with herbs from the botanical greenhouse. The injured ninja looked like he was accomplishing a feat of superhuman strength. He pulled a piece of dyed cloth from under his shirt.

"It … is from Sa ... Sasori…" he uttered before collapsing back into his bed. Kakashi took the black-dyed fabric then bit his thumb.

A pack of dogs clad in ninja wear and disproportionate Leaf headbands appeared on the scrolls Kakashi had rolled on the floor. He gave the piece of fabric to the smallest dog. I was going to declare it cute until it accepted its new mission with an unfittingly gruff voice.

"They'll be able to follow the trail with only that little piece of the guy's shirt, huh?" Naruto asked, having seen Pakkun summoned often enough but still amazed at his abilities. Even I wondered if it was possible.

"Sure." Kakashi said. "Pakkun can track any scent."

The silver haired jounin didn't sound proud or impressed at all at his summoned creature's ability, just… unaffected. I wondered if Kakashi ever dropped his act. My wonderings were cut short when a ninja of the Sand bowed hastily before entering the room.

"Team 7! I have a message for you." the man declared before handing out a wax-sealed scroll of paper. Kakashi took it from his hand. I noted that the seal was imprinted with Tsunade's symbols of duty. An official message? Kakashi's right eye scanned it rapidly then looked up.

"Team Gai has been sent as reinforcement." he stated.

Lee, Tenten and Neji, I thought. Byakugan! Damn. The Hyuuga would see that I was lacking chakra coils, which would lead to questioning about my magnetic powers (of which I had revealed none so far) and how I could use them without chakra… I had to deal with him quickly. I turned to Kakashi.

"How long until they join us?" I asked.

His eyebrow rose slightly.

"They left yesterday…" the grey haired man answered.

"Good. Akatsuki members are dangerous and we'll need help." I continued, giving plausible reason to my concern. It backfired.

"And what do you know of the Akatsuki- " Kakashi started before being interrupted by Naruto.

"We'll kick their asses and save Gaara!" the blond shouted.

"Of course we will …"

Sakura rushed in, holding vials of yellow liquid. She immediately started preparing a needle with the help of three nurses. The antidote, I thought. Her speed at countering a poison the whole village had declared unbeatable was amazing. She must have had some pretty intensive training with Tsunade, I mused. As she bent over to reach for Kankuro's arm, I asked myself what kind of training had left her with such perfectly toned … I left the room before my musings took me any further.

* * *

I was soon on the hospital's rooftop, shaping the weights into projectiles I would be using in the upcoming battle. Pakkun the ugly little ninja dog was out following a scent trail. Kakashi was occupied in a closed-room discussion with the village's leaders. Sakura was at the laboratory preparing more antidotes. Naruto … I didn't know what Naruto was doing. Probably comparing Konoha's ramen to Suna's ramen.

I decided on a finger-long dart with three fins. I created a weak magnetic field in my pouch to align the darts and stop them from moving around. I hadn't fought anyone yet, and soon I was going to face S-rank criminals. I slid off the roof to find Naruto.

I found Naruto trying on traditional purple desert robes. A dark skinned vendor fretted around him, suggesting different pieces of clothing and alleviating him of a few coins each time. I removed him from the grasp of the man before more coins were lost. I took some back into my pouch too, floating them from behind the vendor's back, along the floor and up my leg.

"Wh-What is it, Kenobi?" he asked, confused. "I really wanted to try that pair of -"

I punched him on the cheek, knocking him to the floor.

"Let's spar." I said, grimly.

"WHAT THE FU-!" the blond screamed, jumping to his feet. "Come and get some!"

He created a dozen orange-clad clones and directed them at me. One idiotic grin was bad enough, thirteen of them babbling menaces and taunting was horrible. They charged from all sides. I flipped backwards to leave the circle.

"RAAAAAGH!" they shouted in unison and leapt at me together. One dart rose from each of my leg pouches and was hurdled at an assaulter's chest in a spike of expected pain. They poofed out of existence. Eleven angry Naruto's remained. Two landed first within my reach. I grabbed one by his shirt as a punch connected with my jaw. I lifted the clone and threw him as hard as I could at my second assailant. The force I exerted on my wires re-opened my old cuts. One more clone disappeared as I accelerated a dart to the spot it landed on.

Ten angry blonds looked at me before pausing. They grouped into pairs of two's, one of the pair holding an arm and a leg of the other. I prepared two darts, unsure of what was happening.

Five ninjas spun their partner and launched him at me. I nailed two and dodged out of the way of another. The remaining duo was successful. One dived for my legs and the other landed knee first on my chest. I got the wind knocked out of me as I sprawled on the floor, one leg caught in a clone's grip. I kicked his face with my other leg. I broke his nose; he turned into a cloud of smoke and chakra. The other one lunged to stamp on me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw five identical clones running towards me. The original HAD to be one of them.

I got up and did two back flips. I caught a flying kick and pulled the leg to the side. I used the momentum to connect fist with face.

The five remaining ninjas gave an odd look at the floating darts. Two dived, two jumped and one weaved to the side. I pushed pieces of metal into the bodies of the ones in the air. They burst. I jumped out of the reach of a diving clone. He rolled away; the ninja next to him received a kick. He blocked the attack, tripped me over then rolled out of my reach. I levitated another dart and launched it.

A roundhouse kick got the back of my head. The dart missed and sunk into the dusty street. The vendor was watching, amused at the scrabble.

I brought my arms up to break my fall, shaking my head to clear the dizziness. A powerful kick to the side rolled me over. I turned to get up; another kick followed. A pair of hands grabbed my shirt from behind and lifted me to my feet. I looked at the calmly approaching Naruto as I rolled my head. He cocked back an arm, readying a punch.

"That's NOT how we spar!" he declared before smashing into my jaw. I was not going to lose to this dumbass blond, sparring or not. I clenched my fists.

"So?" he asked. He awaited an apology. Two darts sunk into his back.

He didn't disappear. The clone holding me threw me to the ground, all eyes to his creator. I grabbed an arm, kicked the opposite leg backwards and rolled the clone on its back as we both fell. An elbow to his plexus cushioned my fall. Broken ribs: the clone turned to smoke.

I looked up. The remaining clone was pulling out the darts from the original Naruto's back. I helped him. The darts launched out his back and rammed the clone's head and neck, spraying blood. The last clone disappeared.

Naruto coughed while on his knees and twisting his face in agony. I kicked his head, bending him on his back. He groaned as his wounds were stretched by the movement.

"More clones!" I barked, wiping blood from my lips.

I watched him bring his hands together, eyes red. Kakashi appeared, stopping him. I noticed a copy of Kakashi had an arm around my neck. When did he..?

"That's enough for now" the jounin stated calmly. "Naruto, go seek medical assistance. Kenobi, there are rules when sparring."

He didn't release me until Naruto got up, giving me an angry look and turned away, supported by his teacher. His orange suit was marred by two red holes, under his left shoulder.

I dusted myself. My hands trembled slightly: they felt burnt by the electric shocks from the strong magnetic pushes. I slowly regained sensation in my fingertips and regained control. After a moment, I grumbled an apology at the waiting masked ninja. He stared at me for a little longer, glanced at the darts and left in a cloud of smoke. I was sure he had watched the whole thing.

The vendor, arms crossed and leaning against the door to his shop, chuckled. I smashed his shop window with one of the darts on the floor then collected the remaining ones magnetically, directing each one into my pouches as I stormed away.

I first headed down the street then turned around, going back to the hospital. I better make up with Naruto if I was to fight alongside him in the future, I thought. I flashed a middle finger at the enraged shopkeeper as I passed by him again.

* * *

The next morning, Pakkun arrived with good news. He had followed the trail to an Akatsuki lair; we were to approach and proceed with caution.

Temari volunteered to join us. Chiyo took her place when the Suna girl was ordered to protect the village from future attacks. Kankurogave a heartwarming plea to Naruto, a request that he saved Gaara. The blond accepted cheerfully, yesterday's events forgotten.

A group of four ninjas and one intruding hacker set off to the Land of Rivers, laden with weapons and camping equipment.

A few hours into the trip, I noticed that Sakura had an unusual frown. I timed my next jump to get closer.

"What's bothering you?" I asked a bit loudly to cover the noise of the wind.

She looked up. Naruto heard too. Kakashi was ahead, following Pakkun while Chiyo was probably deaf. Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but her speech was delayed by having to jump off the next branch. By the time we were aligned again, she was facing Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, you say the Akatsuki hunts you for your demon…" the kunoichi asked "but for how long? Why did you not tell me? Why didn't you tell us?!"

Her voice was drowning in worry and concern; eyebrows bunched together and chin trembling slightly. Naruto also looked visibly affected. He took his time to formulate an answer.

"Kakashi told me the Akatsuki have only recently increased their activity. Jiraiya-sensei was there to protect me, and now…" -we kicked off the next branch- "I didn't want to burden you with my troubles."

His devotion to his teammates was exemplary, I thought. I pitied his obsession of shouldering everything alone.

"Don't… Don't ever hide something like that from us again! You needn't worry about us like that! Lee, Neji, Shino, even Ino-pig cares about you! I - I do too. We don't want to see you taken away without even knowing why!" she cried. Tears were forming in her eyes.  
Naruto didn't know what to do with his hands.

Chiyo stared at teenagers and muttered something about her own generation. I turned to Sakura to explain.

"Jinchuuriki lead dangerous lives, Sakura, and you know that. Naruto believes that to protect his friends he must not bring his own troubles upon them."

Sakura was wide eyed.

"How do you know?" she asked. Naruto frowned.

"I was a jinchuuriki too." I told them. Naruto's eyes widened in shock and he barely got a grip on the last branch. "I mean only partially; I was to hold Kokuo's chakra without being noticed doing so… I failed. I know the feeling when people are scared of you losing control and going on a rampage. I didn't have friends or family. I understand why he wishes to hide these things from you…"

Naruto was awed by the totally fabricated revelation. He looked at me differently than before, a mixture of shock, surprise and respect. Good, I thought. He'll listen to me more from now on, if having suffered at the hands of Sasuke wasn't enough to convince him. Sakura made a little 'Oh!' and stared fixatedly too.

The blond took over the explanation. I watched as he tried to use his hands to describe the situation.

"You see Sakura; my whole life people would be scared that the Kyuubi would influence me into releasing it somehow and destroying Konoha again. For a long time, no-one ever cared for me… then I had Iruka then you and Sasuke and then all of my friends came to me and said they cared for me. I - I don't want to lose that. I'd do anything, anything to save my friends."

Sakura warmed to his speech. Naruto had been hiding his problems to protect them. She hit him on the head, sending him cartwheeling away.

"How STUPID can you be, you idiot! It's not all about you! You'd save us from worry by hiding your troubles, right? Well you're WRONG. We're all in this together, and real friends take care of things together, as they come!" she shouted, brandishing her fist but with misty eyes. Kakashi looked behind him to check on the commotion.

"But…" the blond protested. Naruto was visibly embarrassed. He stumbled on his words as he tried to mutter excuses, hand scratching his unruly hair. I looked at the brown-robed figure a few meters to my right. Chiyo wasn't looking at us but she had a shocked expression.

Naruto was going to say something. I rushed forward to escape possible questioning, ignoring Chiyo's suspicious glare and Kakashi inscrutable look.

* * *

We were approaching a clearing when I felt several kunai rush into range of my sixth sense. I deflected them to the side and shouted a warning to the group. All dropped into formation, forming an arc around the shooter at the edge of the forest.

My eyes adapted to the brighter sunlight. I saw dark robes with red clouds, a scratched Konoha headband, and then glowing red eyes within a deathly white face. _Itachi_. Kakashi had already unveiled his Sharingan, while Sakura gasped as she recognized the man sent to stop us.

"My, my, look what we have here… " he sneered with his silken voice. "I'm sorry children, but this is as far as you go."

Naruto boiled in anticipation of the fight. Kakashi was trying to warn him of something.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH GAARA?!" he screamed in anger.

He now had a target for all the frustration of not being able to help a fellow jinchuuriki. He put his hands together to form a seal… then froze. A genjutsu? I wondered. I heard a chirruping sound then Kakashi lurched into action, hand blazing with bright, arcing electricity. Sakura rushed to Naruto's side to dispel the genjutsu.

I prepared two darts and launched them at the Akatsuki agent. I had around eighty meters to cover. The projectiles would reach deadly speed in half the distance at the cost of a wave of pain. Itachi just dodged them easily, disappearing from sight before I could even redirect the darts. My arms gradually stopped trembling as the pain subsided. The Uchiha appeared at Kakashi's side, negligently slapping his Chidori-charged hand into the ground. The lightning attack carved through the ground before it dissipated with Kakashi nowhere to be seen.

The Copy Ninja rose from the ground behind Itachi. Kunai flashed, Itachi and Kakshi facing each other again. To my side, Naruto shuddered and sprang into action. Two dozen clones filled the area, shouting at the top of their lungs. I looked at Itachi, trying to observe his movements and aim my next set of darts. He snapped his head to me. I looked up and met his eyes.

His tomoe started spinning…

* * *

**Guest, Narutorox**: You two are cool as well.

**Chrisrawr**: The Hitchhiker's guide works in any universe... you''ll be surprised at Kenobi's reaction. Remember how Kishimoto explained that genjutsu affected the chakra in the brain? Kenobi has zero chakra.


	5. Part 2: Late

**Exit Strategy** by krakonfive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it? OC x Canon Naruto Shippuden. Science fiction themes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**New chapter **every Thursday.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

UPDATE 3/02/2013: I give in. I'll answer the reviews at the bottom of the chapters.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 2**

**II- LATE**

…then stopped altogether.

I was confused. What had he attempted to do?

The Kage Bunshin all leapt in a massed attack at Itachi. The original Naruto was preparing a bright blue ball of spinning chakra with the help of a clone. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen again. Immediately, two clones turned to smoke. I stopped the other shuriken mid-air and directed them back at their owner. In the corner of my eye, I saw Chiyo summon two puppets from a scroll. They had conical heads with painted animal faces. Ragged robes covered their mechanical bodies. They launched forward, driven by chakra strings, to join the attack. I spotted Kakashi flying through sets of seals behind the group of clones.

All at once, the ground crumbled under Itachi, he received a multitude of punches and kicks and was impaled by two swords dripping with poison. A flock of crows flew from the center of this activity.

"Hu hu hu, is that all?" Itachi sneered smoothly. All turned to the origin of the voice.

"RASENGAN!" was his answer as the wind-based attack fell from the sky. Another Itachi clone appeared, rendering Naruto's attack futile.

A stream of water in the form of a dragon crashed into him, sending him flying into the chakra-fuelled punch Sakura had prepared. He burst into another flight of gawking crows. This was getting annoying. I was going to have to participate more, even if it hurt me.

The real Itachi attacked the confused group of clones with a kunai in each hand. I ripped them out his grip only for two more to appear. NO, I thought before closing my eyes, sensing his pouches filled with metal. I grinned then held my breath. I pulled the sharp weapons in opposite directions, contents of each pouch trying to escape through his body. He moved so fast my eyes couldn't track him, but when he stopped two meters further, I saw blood drip from several long cuts on his body. They weren't very deep, but they crisscrossed the sides of his body. My arms felt numb as I expired slowly.

Itachi's right hand jumped to his mouth, fireball already rushing towards me. He jumped out of the way of another of Kakashi's strikes.  
Three chakra strings were attached to my back. Chiyo had saved me from the flames by guiding me like a puppet. I nodded in her direction.

Clones were dispelling left and right. Tens of knives and crosses littered the clearing. Wincing, I levitated them all. Time to apply some pressure.

Itachi was destroying Naruto's clones one by one with ease despite being surrounded. A slap here, a kick there, nails penetrating skin and fists breaking noses. Suddenly, three clones to his right dispelled. A hail of his previously owned shuriken and kunai rushed into the opening in a stream of metal. I laughed as he desperately burned his way out of the wall of orange-clad ninja while being chased by a cloud of deadly objects.

I tried directing him to a pair of Naruto's readying a Rasengan. Each time he landed after a leap, I accelerated the projectiles. The ones that overshot or missed were pulled back into the cloud. He stared at me then dived _underneath _and behind my attack before I could change the trajectory. He tripped a charging Sakura over then formed seals even faster than Kakashi. His eyes glowed. All happened very quickly.

Chiyo crumpled. Kakashi dropped to a knee. Sakura didn't get up from her fall. I readied as many projectiles as I could hold at once, starting to panic. A wailing scream next to me made me jump, followed by a collective 'poof!' as all the clones dispelled. Naruto lost control over his rasengan, hand ripping into bloody rags as the ball of chakra expanded and dispelled. He clutched his head, mouth frothing in rage and despair. What had happened? Another genjutsu? Why wasn't I affected?

A smile slowly formed on Itachi's face. Kakashi grunted, under strain.

"Now this is a fine shinobi." he stated, pointing at me. "You can fake a mind as blank as a clone."

"What's it to you?!" I shouted back, on edge.

"I cannot force you to accept an illusion. But do not worry, you death will be quite real…" the man sneered.

I accelerated all the metal in my possession at him. He disappeared from sight before he reappeared, sprinting across the clearing to Kakashi's kneeling body. Two fingers, bright with chakra, were aimed at Kakashi as the Akatsuki agent approached. No, no no no, no more deaths! I pushed harder than I had ever done so far. The cloud dropped, kunai and shuriken thumping into the dust. One single three-finned dart accelerated forward. It caught the surprised Uchiha behind the shoulder… and took his arm with it. He winced in pain, giving up on his silver haired prey.

He glared at me. My body rattled from the jolts of electricity running through my nerves. I looked over to Naruto. The boy was _crying_.  
Right there, I knew I had to save him, at least for his friends that depended on him. I needed him too, I told myself, to realize my plan. I ignored my pain and forced my limbs to obey.

Itachi staggered. I sprinted at him, wire-guided legs digging into the dust. Time slowed.

A kunai on the ground between us… Squash. I pushed myself off the metal platform, blade in hand. Lunge. He dodged to the side. The metal spread thin as it reached to catch him. A red line spread across the side of his face, locks of hair dropping. Knee. I barely registered the pain before I was stopped in midair. Hand on my ankle. I elongated my blade into his chest. He breathed fire on me.

I blacked out as I was roasted, pure pain erupting in the middle of my chest. Flames licked my neck and chin.

I was thrown like a rag doll across the clearing. Another fireball approached. Despite the hurt, I raised a metal shield in the path of the blast. It sizzled and grew red, radiating heat like an open furnace.

Itachi was relentless. He jumped forward, blood streaming from his open wounds. I saw him approach through eyes blinded by tears. I clenched my fist and reached out mentally for the closest metal. I launched it at him, magnetic force boosted by my distress. He sidestepped it.

This was like a nightmare. I saw his ghostly white hand rise above my incapacitated body, sprawled on the ground a few meters from the still figures of Sakura and Chiyo. In slow motion, his mouth opened, seals formed … ram, lion, boar, death… Naruto was twitching on the ground, locked inside his personal hell and blood draining from his torn hand.

All was lost.

Kakashi's hand burst through Itachi's chest, cackling with electricity. Itachi slumped, bleeding profusely. As he died, his face was replaced by that of another man. I didn't understand.

"Substitution jutsu." muttered the ninja as he wiped his arm.

Sakura began to stir. Naruto stumbled to his feet, staring wide eyed at his bones visible under the flesh that had been twisted off by the failed jutsu. I fell unconscious.

* * *

I reviewed the battle in my head, trying to analyze my actions and those of the others. Kakashi had been trying to warn us of Itashi's genjutsu techniques before we all attacked. Chiyo was much more agile than an old lady should have been. I had revealed a large part of the basic maneuvers I could do with my magnetic techniques, but forcing myself to make stronger and stronger fields really hurt. What did I expect now?

First, I would be questioned about my teamwork. I knew and had anticipated a bit too openly all of Team 7's techniques and tactics. I would have to explain my magnetic manipulation abilities… no, Kakashi wouldn't be so blunt. He would wait for Neji to look at me with his Byakugan first. That problem was still unresolved.

This was no good at all. No sooner would Team Gai arrive that my cover would be blown. Think! What could -

My eyes fluttered open to a blurred image of a pale face framed by pink. I blinked several times. Sakura was bent over me, palms over my chest and concentrating on her healing. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She was _beautiful_.

She noticed me staring at her. She blushed slightly then moved to heal my neck.

A wave of pain made me black out again.

* * *

She had _blushed_! We barely knew each other! Maybe it was just because she was receiving attention? Or was it -

I woke. I sat up and looked at my chest. Bandages ran up to my chin. I pushed a finger under the wraps of cloth. My skin felt rugged but the pain was gone. I looked around me.

A fire lit a quick camp at the edge of the clearing. Kakashi and Chiyo cast long flickering shadows on the trees as they studied a map.

Naruto was deep in thought, hunched over a bandaged hand. Sakura was in a sleeping bag, breathing heavily. I went to her.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly once I had kneeled next to her.

"Oh, Kenobi, I used a lot of chakra to heal you and Naruto. I - I healed him first to stop the bleeding but I took too long and now you'll have scars forever." she said quickly, feeling ashamed. I placed a hand on her shoulder to conform her.

"No, you took the right decision. Thank you."

I squeezed her shoulder before standing up and leaving. I couldn't see her reaction since I was between her and the fire so she was hidden by my shadow, but her breath did pause. It was just some formal gratitude! Damn this girl, she'd jump at any praise she got. But then again, Kakashi never commented her progress and Naruto was blind when it came to people around him, just ask Hinata.

I walked up to Naruto. He looked up and shifted to make space for me on his bed.

"So, what's happened?" I asked.

"Kakashi-sensei ordered a pause. I can go on but he said we're all low on chakra. It's not like I got to use any of mine." he grumbled, pulling at the bandages protecting his injured hand.

Ah, so he feels like he didn't do anything during the battle? It felt like I was fixing one case after another.

"Ha! Not a lot of chakra? You created like 50 clones and three of those spinning chakra balls. What's the technique called?"

He cheered up at the mention of his new jutsu.

"It's the Rasengan! I learnt it from Jiraiya. The only other person to use it was the Fourth Hokage himself!" he said a bit too loudly, disturbing the silent camp.

"Well then, tell me when you want to use it next time so we'll work together during a fight, okay?"

"Yeah…" he answered before lapsing back to his previous brooding. "It won't be of any use if I lose control of it again though."

He freed a length of cloth around his palm before starting to tug at the next one. I put my hand on his to stop him. Physical contact tended to make people trust you since it created a sense of intimacy. I tried initiating it whenever I could, and so far it was working. I amused myself by thinking of Kakashi's reaction to this tactic.

"Naruto, it's not your fault. You fought very well but we were facing the world's best expert in genjutsu … next time, just listen to Kakashi before you rush in."

"Yeah, sorry." he said, feeling reprimanded.

The fire crackled and Sakura coughed in her sleep.

"But hey, cheer up. We'll find Gaara and kick some ass!" I encouraged, trying to change his mood. It worked.

"We will!" he shouted, back straight and blue eyes sparkling. He looked at me. "Hey, why didn't you tell us you could control all those weapons like that?"

"Ehh, well, since we sparred only once I didn't get to show you what I could do…"

"Show me! Here, move this without touching it!" he said excitedly while he handed me a kunai.

I lifted it and made it spin on each axis in turn.

"Wow! No seals either!" he cried before turning to unload the contents of his weapon pouches in front of me.

He was right. I hadn't thought of adding that element to my fighting technique to complete the illusion of a regular chakra user. I might have to make up names for my techniques too.

"Magnetic Manipulation: TRANSFORMATION!" I shouted before extending the kunai into a meter-long sword. Since the total volume was larger than the original form, I had had to make it hollow.

"Cool! What else can you do?" the blond inquired. I thought of something.

I pulled several weapons into a ball then crushed them together to make a uniform mass of metal. I manipulated opposite magnetic fields to turn it into a hollow hemispherical bowl. Using mental fingers, I created a stick on one end and wires running from the tip to the opposite side of the bowl. I finished creating the tool by spreading a thin film of metal over the bowl, closing it except for a small circle.

I took the newly formed tool and positioned it on my lap, one hand holding the stick and the other on the wires.

"A guitar!" he yelled. I grinned and ran my fingers over the stretched strings. A weird note came out, highly pitched and reverberating to create a hollow sound. I tried again but failed to produce a decent riff.

Naruto laughed at my puzzled expression, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Better luck next time!" he said.

* * *

Naruto woke me up. Kakashi and Chiyo were already awake and busy. Sakura was still asleep.

I heard a summoned creature disappear. Looking to the source of the noise I found Kakashi scribbling something on a map.

"Okay, listen up!" the man said, voice clear in the still air. "Gai has been delayed just like us. They've defeated another Akatsuki agent. We are now to head to the hideout. It is protected by a field barrier and is likely to be surrounded by traps. Stay together and cover each other."

"Hai!" Naruto shouted before turning to nudge Sakura. She blinked awake. Naruto repeated what their sensei had just said.

I packed my sleeping bag into my backpack. I corrected the positions of the wires around my arms and legs. The scars they had made a few days before had disappeared.

Soon, we were jumping from tree to tree, Naruto eager to accelerate while Sakura trailed behind.

* * *

Kakashi was the first to speak as we moved to the designated meeting point.

"I think the Akatsuki is playing for time." he said.

"Why is that?" Naruto asked him. Chiyo was the one to answer.

"The Demon Extraction technique takes three days. This means this is the last day: all the Akatsuki" –jump- "has to do is delay our intervention."

Naruto was confused. "What do you mean, Granny?"

"She means" -jump- "that if we are too late, they win." I told him.

"Yes, the technique kills the host." Chiyo explained.

"Let's speed up then!" Naruto cried.

"The position is heavily defended, we cannot rush in there blindly." the silver-haired jounin warned.

I thought for a moment. Was it wise to attack without team Gai's support?

"Well… " -jump- "we can still speed up and wait for Team Gai once we reach there. We'd have a head-start to defuse any traps" I suggested. I looked back. Sakura was one jump behind us; she was in no state to accelerate. Kakashi noticed my glance.

"Very well then, I'll send a message to Team Gai. We'll travel faster." the jounin ordered.

Naruto immediately pounced ahead. Kakashi pointed at me, then to Sakura before launching himself off the next branch. Chiyo unrolled a scroll.

I stopped myself at the next meter-thick branch. Sakura didn't even notice and crashed into me. I extended the wires around my arms as we both fell.

One loop went around the branch to keep us from falling. Three other loops went around her waist and under her armpits. She looked dazed, as if half-sleeping during the trip. She was sweating and looked exhausted. Just how much chakra did healing use? I pulled us up.

I thinned two blobs of metal into wires that I used to secure her to my back. She fell asleep muttering something. Once confident that she was well restrained, I launched off the branch and kicked hard on the next one to gain speed. I then had an idea.

From my fingers, I extended thin sticks that tapered to points at the end. I held them together to form a bat-like frame. Next, I extended a sheet of metal between them to create fan-shaped wings. My whole supply of metal went into the creation. I searched for the others. They were specks around a hundred meters ahead. I pushed off the next branch and tried to glide. All I gained was a few meters, forcing me to brake so as to not overshoot the next branch.

I decided to cheat. Kakashi was too far to notice. I levitated the wings like I did with the metal platforms earlier. My next jump allowed me to skip two branches and I caught up with Chiyo quickly.

* * *

The Akatsuki hideout was built into a hill and surrounded by a shallow expanse of water. The entrance was quickly found: a red Torii arch stood a few meters in front of a gigantic boulder. The boulder was obviously artificial, based on its unnaturally smooth surface. A single tag was placed on it, reading 'Forbidden'.

The first traps appeared just as soon. Explosive tags were hidden under the surface of the water. Approaching the gateway was impossible since an invisible barrier repelled all intruders. We attacked it but it was impervious to all my projectiles, Chiyo's puppets and Naruto's left-handed Rasengan. Kakashi did not want to waste his chakra testing the barrier's resistance to his lightning attacks. We decided to remove the traps while waiting for the other team.

As I detonated explosive tags within hemispherical cups of metal, I deliberated on how to deal with Neji. Most likely he would be asked to activate his Byakugan immediately to reveal traps we hadn't found yet and try to look past the rock. I just wasn't prepared for when he'd examine me.

* * *

Two green clad ninjas did a synchronized spin and landed in a clearing. Tenten did a regular landing. Behind her, a white-eyed boy set foot lightly on the water.

"Kakashi, my eternal rival!" cried a tall, tanned taijutsu expert.

Kakashi was not amused. He immediately went to speak with the reinforcements, pointing several times at the gateway.

As Lee greeted us enthusiastically and gave me a curious 'Hi!', Neji activated his Byakugan on Gai's order. All hushed once the veins on his upper cheeks and temples bulged.

"What do you see?" asked Gai tentatively.

Naruto jumped next to him, shaking his shoulder. From his excitement, the blond's nails were turning to claws and his whiskers darkened. His eyes… his eyes were red, pupils slit like a fox's.

"Neji, do you see Gaara? What do you see?! Tell me! Do you see Gaara?" the blond repeated. Kakashi pulled him away before he further reduced Neji's concentration.

Neji was having difficulty seeing through meters of rock. He spoke in a calm, formal tone.

"I see… It's hard to make out, but I see a giant statue. It is full of chakra…"

"Do you see Gaara?!" Naruto barked. Even his teeth were sharpening into points now.

Neji hesitated.

"Yes, I see him. He's on the ground, but he's not moving."

Naruto growled. Suddenly, he calmed. He now spoke in a deep, nearly inhumane voice.

"Get me inside." he said before turning away.

Sakura was worried. She moved next to him but seemed afraid to touch her teammate even as her hand extended, frozen in mid-air. Naruto drew a kunai but crushed it in his clenched fists. Even Neji flinched despite his task taking up all of his attention.

* * *

It took nearly an hour to set up the proper removal of the barrier. There were five tags; four were spread within an area covering hundreds of meters while the fifth lay on the boulder in front of us. We had to coordinate ourselves with the use of simple radios. Much to my chagrin, any use of my magnetic powers caused short circuits and distortions so I had to wait around, useless.

Eventually, the tags were removed and the boulder was shattered by a frightening punch from Sakura. The strength granted by chakra manipulation amazed me.

Team Kakashi rushed in together.

Team Gai encountered a final trap.

We were too late.

* * *

**Thank you for reading so far!**

**imsabbel:** As stated before, the prison escape is not a plot hole, it will be addressed in the future. The interactions between Kenobi and Sakura are completely superficial, nothing more than casual appreciation. Sakura blushed because he was looking at her intensely. The character herself diverges from the canon version quite a lot due to later events.


	6. Part 2: Rage

**Exit Strategy** by krakonfive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it? OC x Canon Naruto Shippuden. Science fiction themes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**New chapter **every Thursday.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

UPDATE 3/02/2013: I give in. I'll answer the reviews at the bottom of the chapters.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 2**

**III- RAGE **

Two Akatsuki agents awaited us. One clicked and rattled. The other stared smugly, long blond hair covering his left eye.

Naruto froze. Kakashi's sharingan started spinning. Even Sakura's heavy breathing was interrupted. Chiyo let out a low groan. So much effort for _nothing_.

Deidara was sitting on the lifeless body of Gaara, the former jinchuuriki's green eyes unblinking as they looked back his tardy saviors. His killer sneered then started laughing. He seemed to be enjoying our consternation. Naruto trembled with rage.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" screamed the blond next to me.

"Well, well, if that isn't the host we were looking for... Itachi was right!" Deidara mused.

"GAARA! WAKE UP!"

"Oh my!" the agent taunted. He slapped the cold body he was sitting on. "Come on, wake up for your friend."

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Shut up, boy" was Deidara's leering answer.

For the first time, we heard Sasori's snarling voice. "The jinchuuriki is mine" he stated.

Deidara turned to his partner and shook his head with a smirk. "Sensei, I am sorry to displease you but… I have decided to be the one that captures the nine-tails."

Sasori swiped at his partner with his steel tail. The long haired Akatsuki jumped away.

"Hey now, with all due respect, your puppets are too ugly for the task!"

"Insolent child, I'll deal with them!" his mentor growled back.

"Here, I'll show you how a real artist uses his art!"

Deidara's hand plunged into his pouch. Kakashi tensed. Naruto's eyes flashed red. Either the two were playing us into making a mistake or they honestly believed we weren't much of a threat. I prepared two darts, gripping them tightly in mental fists.

"Do not anger me with your idiotic conception of art." the Suna puppetmaster growled.

Another lunge from Sasori's huge blade-tipped tail caused his partner to jump away onto the back of a large, clay bird that appeared in a cloud of smoke. It flapped short, stubby wings to gain altitude. The bird opened a rounded beak to swallow Gaara's body whole.

"COME BACK HERE YOU SHIT!" Naruto screeched, leaping at his enemy and clawing with sharpened nails. I was going to shoot my darts when I read Kakashi's hand signs. We were to leave Chiyo and Sakura while he and I were to follow Naruto as he chased Deidara.

I shook my head and stepped back to stand next to Sakura. 'She's too tired' I mouthed. Kakashi stared at me for a moment, probably weighing his surveillance mission against the safety of his second student. He nodded shortly and jumped to follow Naruto.

As Deidara flew away, Sasori's robes shook. I launched my darts. He was too slow to dodge, but I heard the projectiles thud harmlessly on wood.

"He's a puppet." Chiyo explained. We ran behind cover and grouped to listen to her. "The only way to defeat him is destroy the controller inside!"

I nodded. Sakura gathered chakra in her fist. Chiyo unrolled a scroll and summoned two puppets.

The battle began with a hail of sharpened metal. The enemy's tail acted as a shield, absorbing the hits. Chiyo twirled massive blades in the air and complemented my attacks. Meanwhile, Sakura rushed from cover to cover, approaching the enemy from behind. She was trembling when she left, but her movements were now without hesitation.

Eventually, Chiyo got past the swinging tail and struck, slashing the robes apart to reveal a man on all four limbs, a giant mask on his back and a studded cylinder on one arm. His bladed tail extended like a tongue from the mask. I agreed with Deidara; it was ugly.

He jumped to avoid two of my darts aimed at his head. I had accelerated them enough to go through his wooden armor but I couldn't redirect them in time for a hit. Being in an enclosed volume limited the space I had to get my darts up to speed.

Sakura burst out from behind a rock and dashed to the landing puppet. His tail lashed at her, making her dive and roll out of the way.

Sasori's mouth opened, revealing a tube. He shot something at her. One of my darts slammed into his neck, making him miss. Sakura ran away.

"Watch out!" Chiyo shouted. "All his attacks are poisoned!"

I thought back to antidotes Sakura carried. There were only two. We couldn't afford getting hit since their effects wore off after 3 minutes, and Sakura was slow from her lack of chakra. I waved to call her back.

Once we had regrouped, I noted how Sakura was panting from exhaustion.

"Why'd you volunteer to fight?! You're out of chakra!" I scowled. That idiot would get herself killed.

She was too much out of breath to answer.

"Stay here!" I ordered before indicating to Chiyo the direction of my attack.

Behind the fallen boulder we were using as cover, I concentrated. I had felt the metal in Sasori's body, in his bladed tail and making up his joints. With effort, I seized them and crushed them together. I raised a thumb to Chiyo. My hand twitched open as an unexpected jolt of electricity grated my nerves. The agent was resisting.

Sasori's arms and legs were bent backwards at an impossible angle. His neck was twisted. The mechanical tail was wrapped around his body, sawing back and forth as he pulled against the invisible force pinning him down. The puppet master watched helplessly as Chiyo sunk a dozen blades into his body.

Was he defeated? A red-haired boy in Akatsuki robes burst out. The controller was revealed. I immediately extended my senses to cover him, grasping the folded metal claws hidden in his back and slamming them to the ground.

"That's Sasori!" gasped Chiyo.

Well yeah, I thought. The boy detached his claws and slipped from my hold.

"He, he looks just like when he left the village!" the old lady gasped. "How… no, NO!"

I turned to the old lady, worried for her mind. Sakura got up to comfort her.

"Sasori used the Human Puppet Technique… he turned himself into a puppet!"

She turned to us. "The only way to defeat him is to destroy his human part."

"Like what?" I asked.

"His heart, brain…anything. It can even be sealed in a scroll!"

This was interesting. Sakura was horrified to think of a human being reduced to sealed organs. Where I was born, the prospect of turning one's body into a machine was commonplace. Here, it seemed to be revolting. Heh. Konoha ninja resembled the Purists stuck on Earth in that aspect. I didn't have time to ponder further since a miniature tsunami crashed into our position. I raised a shield for protection, grunting at the effort it took to hold it in place.

The boulder next to my metal shield toppled then split in half as it was slammed like a mere pebble against the rock wall behind us. My shield wasn't going to hold: I couldn't push hard enough.

"Come closer!" I shouted while reducing the size of the shield and making it thicker. Sakura huddled against me, not knowing what to do to help. Chiyo filled the remaining volume, throwing a scroll into the torrents of water on each side. Her shout was lost to the thunderous noise.

A single puppet was summoned. Its wooden frame looked polished and its movements were smooth as it formed seals. Immediately after, the thunderous noise from the water was replaced by an even more powerful wail as gusts of wind reversed the water's direction.

Everyone covered their ears, except Chiyo who had a hand raised and trailing chakra strings.

The two jutsu dwindled then disappeared, leaving wide pools and dunes of wet soil behind masses of rock that had stood up to the water.

I heard an audible 'click'. I created a slit in the conical shield to see what was happening.

My legs slammed into the ground as I leapt, carrying a startled Sakura and Chiyo with me. Instants later, a thin stream of water cut through the shield like butter. It followed us, carving the rocks we stopped behind.

"He can't keep this up!" Sakura yelled over the buzzing noise.

I nodded and pulled the mass of metal I had used for the shield closer. We jumped as the three meter thick pile of rocks behind us was sliced through. As soon as we landed, I put the metal in the stream's path. Sasori didn't bother moving his hydraulic cutter. The stream was halted for a few seconds by the foot-thick blob before it emerged through the opposite side. We were forced to move again, but this time Chiyo's puppet wasn't fast enough and got cut down. I watched the wood splinter and get blown away, shuddering as I imagined my companions in its place.

I was successful in my next attempt to stop the attack. I created a cylinder, thin and a meter long. The cylinder undulated and belched water but it held up to the stream. Sasori moved the jet of water left and right but I was much faster. A deep pool of water formed under the cylinder.

Click.

Fire engulfed my defense, melting it. The flames continued around it and slammed into our cover. The air dried and soon my tongue was rough inside my mouth. My eyes stung too and my breaths became shallower as the temperature decreased. Tongues of flame licked the edges of the cracking and hissing stone. My cloak caught fire, slightly burning exposed skin before I managed to throw it away. It burned brightly and got reduced to ashes in seconds.

I spoke to Chiyo and Sakura. The pink hair girl nodded but the old lady shook her head. None of her puppets could withstand the jet of flames so I ordered her to prepare a diversion instead.

First, a white puppet blasted a torrent of water at the incoming flames, creating a wall of steam. Then, Sakura darted out to the left to hide herself behind a boulder that had been cut in half by Sasori's previous attack. Chiyo rolled out her last scroll. I jumped to the closest piece of cover and started accelerating three-finned projectiles one after the other at Sasori. Most missed since I could not see my target but I felt some get stopped by a solid object.

The wall of flames overpowered the water jutsu and a puppet fell, incinerated. The cloud of steam dissipated to reveal ten white-clad puppets, all different and controlled by each one of Chiyo's fingers.

"Is that as far as you have reached, grandma?" the red-haired boy taunted. Despite his childish voice, it carried the assurance of a seasoned killer.

"White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets! With this I can take down a castle!" Chiyo shouted back, a hint of pride at her technique.

Sasori scoffed then burst out laughing. "PATHETIC!" he cried before opening a hatch on his chest.

Chiyo paled. Sakura delayed her attack.

"Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets! With this, a country is mine!" the former Suna puppet master cackled.

True to his word, one hundred of his former enemies rose, wielding heavy swords and cleavers.

"They have been selected from the best! Poisoned… and they will defeat your toys, grandma!" he added. The strings attaching the puppets to his chest glowed blue.

"DIE!"

One hundred red robes ruffled as the puppets sprung to life and attacked Chiyo's summons. The white puppets were overwhelmed at first sight, but soon red puppets were falling, broken. While Sasori's puppets were numerous, Chiyo's were faster and worked together. At the opposite side of the battlefield, pink hair flashed as Sakura changed position, getting closer.

When two of the Chikamatsu were crushed by the combined attack of dozens of former warriors, I decided to reveal my position and attack. I yanked two gigantic broadswords out of the hands of the closest puppets. I turned them on their owners, my wrists making a slashing motion. The movement was reproduced by my new weapons, cleaving the puppets in two. I advanced to face the five puppets that started to circle me.

Sakura made a final jump in the corner of my eye. I had to distract Sasori. The best way to do so was to raise hell. I pushed all the metal I could grip into a ball. I grunted as my arms numbed and searing pain shot up from my fingers.

Thirty or more puppets had their joints lock up and pulled skywards. Swords bent, chakra strings were taught tight before snapping. A gathering conglomerate of still puppets, groaning metal and dirty red robes gathered over the arena. Sasori stepped back in surprise as the sphere of metal grew in size. As I gathered the puppets, Chiyo's fingers danced and her personal army swept through the reduced defenders.

It was at that moment Sakura attacked. She leapt into the air, fist glowing with chakra. The result was a crater of cracked earth, a crushed body driven into the ground and a rumble that reverberated off the rock walls. I gave her a painful thumbs up from afar as she stood panting. She waved back.

Too late, I noticed the scroll missing from Sasori's chest. A red puppet broke off from the fighting, sword drawn. I extended my reach to catch him. He dropped his metal sword but continued. A human puppet! I could not stop him without metal joints and he was too fast to catch with any projectile, not now.

My scream was halted midway as the puppet plunged his arm into her abdomen, emerging along with a loop of bloodied intestine.

The real Sasori removed his hand with a spray of blood, kicking Sakura on her back. She convulsed, and then was still. I locked eyes with her murderer. A rage I didn't know I could have, overcame me. This was not the detachment that came from playing simulation after simulation, not the void of emotions from knowing all the characters only existed in bits and electrons. No, this was seeing a friend fall.

I slammed the sphere of metal on top of his position. All the red puppets went still and collapsed. I lifted the mass and slammed again, and again. I repeated until the ground crumbled and the puppets' wooden frames were separated from their metal parts in a shower of splinters.

I barely registered Chiyo whisking Sakura away from the destruction. I embedded the conglomerate of compressed weapons, ball bearings and other joints into the ground before stopping. I looked around before collapsing from the pain. My entire upper body could not be controlled, my muscles ignored my commands and the only feedback was agony. The sensation faded as I let go of the sphere of metal and dispelled the magnetic fields.

Two white puppets guarded the flat surface of a split boulder. I rushed to it, oblivious as to whether or not I was revealing the flying platform technique I had unconsciously used. I landed and slumped to my knees next to the pink-haired kunoichi.

Chiyo's hands glowed green over the ragged hole on her stomach. Blood frothed at the edge of her lips. An empty injection lay next to her thigh.

"The antidote?" I asked, pointing at the needle. Chiyo nodded.

I took Sakura's trembling hand. Her eyelids lifted, eyes dilated and jerking about. She tried to look at me but could not keep focus. I whispered for her to stay calm. Her neck tensed for a nod but her eyes rolled to the back of her head. A drop fell on her cheek. I was crying?

Why – Why was I affected so? Never had I cried for a constructed personality in a simulation. If a death was scripted, it was to happen and that was all. The characters were forgotten when you left the simulation; after switching between several in a day, all characters look like bland stereotypical clones. None were worthy of affection!

Then I realized. This wasn't part of a story. I was not immune to death, I had not been granted godly powers, nor were those around me. I had entered this simulation and changed the script; I had erased it and created a new one that adapted to events as they happened. Anyone could die, there was no right or wrong, no clichés and all too common twists in the story… this was real. These characters had evolved into independent people, with their own will. The world didn't fit a predefined plot; it veered madly in response to my actions! It was _normal _to cry at death.

I tightened a trembling grip around the kunoichi's hand while wiping my eyes. Chiyo looked at me but said nothing, concentrating on her task. I mouthed a 'save her' then stood up.

The Akatsuki hideout had been transformed into a scarred wasteland. Between the pools of water and split rocks lay puppets, littered like leaves after a storm. Most lacked arms and legs, metal joints ripped out of them.

I looked further. Nearer the gateway was a mound of wood and red rags, topped by metal bent and twisted into a roughly spherical shape. I rolled it over the surrounding trash and out of the crater it had made.

I formed a metal disk at my feet and used it to levitate to the center of the crater. I searched around, looking for Sasori's body. After a few minutes of overturning broken puppets, I gave up and started walking out.

Metal moved. I twisted to see a sword fly at me. Block. The blade cut into the cloth on my forearm. It was poisoned! I pushed it away. In my panic, I pushed everything away: sword, wired wrapped around my arm and the one-armed puppet that had attacked me. I sent it tumbling to the edge of the crater. I jumped after it.

I pinned it to the ground through its joints. It had nearly killed Sakura! I ripped its legs off and pulled a sword to my hand. I looked at my arm. Blood dripped from crisscrossing cuts, but none were from the poisoned sword. I ignored the painful use of my techniques and put a foot on the puppet's chest. It vibrated as it started a deep laugh.

"Hu hu hu… you cannot kill me, you fool! I am immortal! Ahh ha ha ha ha!"

Sasori was mocking me. I plunged the sword into its head. It was hollow but the skull had belonged to a living person. The defeated man turned puppet sneered and turned his blank eyes at me.

"I am invincible! Aha ha ha ha!" he mocked.

"Oh yeah? And what if I did THIS?!"

I stabbed the scroll in his chest. His eyes widened with fear for the first time since the battle had started. His puppet twitched and fell silent, ink leaking from the scroll like blood. Like Sakura's blood. I stamped my foot over his face, cracking it before launching off to join Chiyo and her patient.

* * *

A bruised and battered Team Gai joined us at the foot of a tree overlooking the smoking Akatsuki hideout. Neji seemed too tired to use his Byakugan, so I relaxed. They stared at the unconscious Sakura in my arms, my burns and blood-stained wraps of cloth then at the exhausted Chiyo.

"Ah, I see your fight went as well as ours!" Gai declared, teeth bright in the dim light.

I stayed silent.

"The flames of youth need rekindling!" he continued.

"YOSH!" Lee piped. Neji sat down and closed his eyes. Tenten shook her head as she lay down her weary body too.

"Oh just shut it, will you?" the brown-haired girl muttered.

Gai and his student were about to spend some of their boundless energy in pointless exercises when Kakashi burst in, Naruto holding a limp body in his arms. He lay Gaara down on the grass. He looked around in distress.

"SAVE HIM!" he shouted, startling Neji awake. "DO SOMETHING!"

He looked first at the unconscious Sakura, then at Chiyo.

"Grandma, come here! NOW!" the blond cried. He pulled her to her feet before carrying her over to the body. I lay down my load carefully.

Kakashi tried to temper him. Naruto swatted his hand away.

Gai intervened instead, his serious tone a scary break of character.

"Naruto!" he hissed. "Let her do her work. Now SIT!"

The teenager obeyed and watched impatiently as the old lady traced seals and circles in the soil. The sun was setting, a cooling wind had picked up. The blond looked at me and nodded towards Sakura.

"Will she be alright?" he asked. I nodded and watched him stand up and start pacing, glancing impatiently at Chiyo's preparatory work. Why was he affected so much by this death? Did he feel responsible for everyone's protection? I would never have guessed his attitude from just reading my documents. I knew he swore to protect his allies at the cost of his own life, but Gaara was already dead, right?

Chiyo was ready. The Suna elder kneeled next to the lifeless Gaara. Her hands glowed. What was she doing? I wondered, sitting upright to look at her actions. She brought her hands to lie over the body. Nearly immediately, her hands fell and she collapsed to the side.

"I cannot… I cannot do it." she murmured.

"Whaaat? Granny? What's the problem?" Naruto asked, voice loud and quivering from worry.

"No more… chakra"

Kakashi looked away. Gai had the decency to look more affected than his favorite student, who seemed confused.

"Then take mine!" Naruto declared. He took his hand off of Chiyo's shoulder. Soon enough, Chiyo had returned to her initial position, hands glowing much brighter than before. Sakura was stirring in my arms.

Color returned to Gaara's face followed by his chest rising and falling. Naruto watched with growing excitement. Suddenly, the Sand jinchuuriki spluttered and opened his eyes, putting his elbows under him to stand up. Naruto lifted him up and bellowed joyous exclamations. Lee joined him in the celebration.

Kakashi bent down and closed Chiyo's eyes. Gai was strangely silent. Sakura got up after squeezing my hand. She too had noticed the elderly lady collapse and lay still.

"IDIOT!" she shouted.

Naruto's cries of joy died down. Tears ran from the kunoichi's eyes. "Can't you see? She's DEAD!"

The blond looked at the motionless figure at Kakashi's feet. His eyes widened in horror.

"Idiot… she gave Gaara life… at the cost of her own!" she bawled. I rose to comfort her but she stopped me. She walked to Chiyo's side.

Naruto stumbled at the emotional reversal. Even the unfeeling Gaara stared at his former mentor's body.

Naruto's cheers were half-hearted when we rallied the Hidden Village of the Sand.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the end of the first arc.

**sumwhriblong:** Thank you for liking the story. Sasori's first puppet is actually wooden, with metal joints and weapons. The final puppet is made from a human body; thus it does not contain any metal other than the folding blades used as wings. Kenobi could not control it directly.

**Chrisrawr: **Ha! He was lucky with Sasori, since the puppetmaster relied on lots of metal. Itchi's half-powered clone thrashed him around through.


	7. Part 3: Team

**Exit Strategy** by krakonfive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it? OC x Canon Naruto Shippuden. Science fiction themes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**New chapter **every Thursday.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

UPDATE 6/02/2013: Lots of reviews and follows! I thank you all!

This is one early since I won't be online tomorrow.

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**PART 3**

**I- TEAM**

We set camp much before nightfall.

The two teams were travelling at a much slower pace than when they had set out. Sakura had fallen asleep on Gai's back and still hadn't woken. Neji and Lee were covered in bruises, some blue, some green, the rest yellow. Tenten had given up trying to cover her cuts. I myself wasn't at the top of my form. My limbs were shivering from exhaustion, entirely reliant on the wire frame for movement.

The camp beds were rolled out with desperate haste. For once, I was responsible for lighting the fire and cooking. Maybe Kakashi had stopped observing all my actions and gained enough confidence in me not to poison them all in their sleep. Or maybe it was because he was sleeping like a log with his sandals on.

I levitated three pots at once over the fire to boil water. Even if I could block out pain and force my muscles to move against their biological restraints, I had a hard time keeping my body awake.

I eventually obtained eight bowls of steaming whatever was in those bags. I was met with seven snores and one deranged grunting noise. Naruto made as much noise asleep as he did awake.

* * *

While my body rested, I planned for future events. Tomorrow I was to be in Konoha. An expedition would be ready to go soon after our arrival, ready to attack the coordinates I had given.

I organized my thoughts.

Deidara and Sasori were dead.

That left ten enemies to be defeated. Without antagonists, the story would end and I would be ejected from the simulation.

However, looking back at my emotional turmoil at Sakura's injury, I found it harder and harder to believe that I was just in a simulation surrounded by virtual characters.

I kicked myself out of the warm feeling that was making my heart jump. It might be amusing to take my Kenobi character to the logical extreme, and act as I should, but reality was catching up. The Inner system transmission was coming soon. If I was on time, I'd have my spirit transmitted to the safety, far away from Jupiter. If I was too late or too early, I'd be discovered and captured by Jupiter's Network security forces; a fancy title for hired thugs.

But... what if I couldn't do it? Itachi had defeated me easily, death would have ensued had Kakashi's not intervened. Even missing an arm and bleeding out, the man had managed to roast me alive and scar me forever. I hadn't felt any better when the silver haired jounin declared that the substitution technique granted the copy half or even a third of the original's chakra. My other opponent, Sasori, had lost solely due to his reliance on metal. Otherwise, I could be enjoying a thorough gutting and draining in preparation to become another human puppet. I shuddered at the mental image. My next target was Sasuke. How much power had he gained under Orochimaru's teaching?

My mind drifted to the possible outcomes to a fight between us. Whatever his power, I came to the conclusion that it was best that I fought Sasuke alone. If Orochimaru went to his aid, I'd be killed. If Naruto came to my aid, he wouldn't allow Sasuke to be killed. Sakura... I couldn't predict her actions. Could she even face her love?

I shrugged in my sleep. All this assumed I could deal with the chidori-user much better than I had handled the Akatsuki agents. There was no time to be wasted.

Far away, hidden in the pitch black shadows of the forest, metal darts spun in circles and levitating shields stood up to impacts of ever increasing strength.

* * *

I woke up feeling not much better than when I slept. Last night's untouched food was eaten as breakfast. While we packed, Lee and Gai stretched and did silly warm-up exercises. The placement of strings and weights to strengthen their _thumb_ was ingenious... but ridiculous.

We set an acceptable pace. This time, Gai was carrying Kakashi. By midday we arrived at the gates to the Hidden Village of the Leaf. As the tired ninjas lined up to be searched by the chuunin guards, Kakshi handed me a slip of paper. I read it. It granted temporary rights in the village equivalent to those of Konoha ninja. I smiled. I felt like I had just passed some sort of test.

Moments later, the new Team Kakashi was bidding farewell to Team Gai. The sensei himself was absent; his battle had left him exhausted of chakra and needed hospitalization.

I waited for Sakura and Naruto to stop waving. I had shaken hands with our allies but didn't go further. After all, I hadn't grown up with them and they knew less of me than I knew about them. Naruto turned to me and Sakura.

"Ramen?" he suggested with a grin.

Sakura was too tired to turn down her energetic teammate's offer. I just nodded and followed.

* * *

Half an hour later, I understood part of Naruto's obsession for ramen. It was... beyond good. I even took a second helping. Naruto was busy gulping down his fifth.

The sensation of peace and quiet calmed me. No one was going to attack us. Sakura wasn't bleeding to death from a perforated abdomen; Naruto wasn't trembling in fear from a genjutsu. Teuchi and his daughter Ayame were smiling and serving Naruto his sixth helping. The other customers chatted quietly.

I dropped my chopsticks with a scowl.

"Naruto." I said. "We have to talk."

His expression shifted from delight to confusion. Soon, he made a sour face. He guessed what had to be discussed. Sakura came to the same conclusion and prepared to leave as we stood up. I turned to her.

"No, this concerns you too" I told her. I pulled her alongside Naruto and started walking.

It was strange to see Naruto deep in thought. His eyebrows formed a ripple as they bunched together, his nostrils flared and he munched the inner edge of his lower lip. I didn't comment on it as we walked to the edge of the village. The shadows lengthened, a cold wind picked up and the sporadic gusts made us shiver. Naruto didn't seem to notice at all.

We sat down on a large tree trunk at the edge of an unused training ground. The sky was a deep blue now and the surroundings were losing their color. I couldn't distinguish Sakura's pink hair from her skin anymore. After a few minutes of silence, I spoke one word.

"Sasuke."

I let the emotional baggage it carried settle in.

"What will we do once we reach him?" I asked calmly. Even while there was no-one around, I kept my voice low.

Naruto hesitated. Sakura pursed her lips.

"I … I wish to avenge my village." I declared. They knew what that meant.

"No." Naruto answered. Sakura flinched at his serious tone. "He is my problem, I will deal with him!"

"Naruto …" the kunoichi whispered.

"It's more than just you. He might have betrayed you, but he killed my kin!" I countered.

"I said I'll be the one to deal with him!"

"What will you do, huh?" I raised my voice. "Make him return to the village? Then forgive him? I can't accept that."

Naruto stayed silent, fists clenched. He stood up abruptly and strode away. I followed him.

"What will you do? TELL ME!" He stopped walking. "You know I will kill the bastard. I will do so without hesitation the moment-"

He grabbed my collar and lifted me with one arm.

"Don't you DARE touch Sasuke!" he snarled. Sakura got up and tried to separate us. He just shrugged her off. I stared at each of his eyes in turn, both black in the dimming light.

"I must."

He threw me to the ground. I scrambled to my feet.

"I will do what it takes but I WILL drag him home. Whatever the cost..." he grumbled, mostly to himself.

I shook my head in exasperation. Sasuke had to be eliminated, it was the only sure way of removing him from the story. "His deeds … they have to be paid in blood!" I insisted.

What might affect Naruto the most?

"Tell me Naruto, what would you do if Sasuke killed all those you know? Tell me!" I shouted. "What would you do if he slaughtered _all_ your friends?"

Naruto sobbed in frustration. He had no answer to that. His voice turned hard.

"Kenobi … leave him to me."

"I'll have his head." I muttered coldly. I turned to walk away as he fell to his knees.

"NOOOOO!"

I cringed at the bloodcurdling cry. Naruto leapt at me and struck me down. He grabbed my shirt and sat on my chest. His tears fell on my neck and chin.

"Don't you hurt him!" he begged, shaking me. "Don't TOUCH SASUKEEEEE!"

In desperation, he communicated in the way he knew best. He punched me, making me see stars.

His following scream was half pain and half frustration. He clutched his bleeding thigh as I pulled out my blade. I pushed him off my chest, making him stumble on his injured leg.

"Kenobi! What have you done?! That's not -" Sakura howled. She ran up to Naruto.

Naruto was not in the mood for healing or consolation. His eyes turned red, glowing in the shadows. He pushed Sakura away with a shove. She tripped backwards and fell.

The blond's voice was altered now. I shuddered involuntarily.

"Sasuke. Is. MINE!"

He disappeared from sight. I brought my arms up in defense. My head was slammed into the dust.

Inches away from my face, I could feel the heat of his chakra burning.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH SASUKE!" he bellowed. I brought my arms up to push him off.

In a flash of chakra, my cheek was replaced by three lines of pain. I felt blood flow down my neck and wet my shirt.

Naruto brought his arm back for another swipe with his claws. Sakura's hands stopped him.

"NARUTO!"

The blond shook his head, returning to his senses. He stumbled to his feet, eyes wide.

The demonic chakra subsided and I heard the jinchuuriki's sobs. Sakura wrapped her arms around him, sharing his tears. I felt a pang of envy. The two shared a bond I could never hope to achieve. I had tested Naruto's loyalty to Sasuke and found it unyielding. I wiped the blood off my cheek as I got up. My palm glistened in the dark.

Sakura separated herself from Naruto and looked up at me. Her face was just a slightly lighter shade of grey than the surroundings, but I could make out her eyes. They seemed to concentrate the light around her into two green circles. She suppressed a sob and stepped next to me, putting her hand to my cheek.

It glowed. The green chakra, illuminated pink locks of hair and cheeks wet with tears.

I extended a hand and wiped her tears, leaving instead a smudge of blood. She stared intently at me, emotions running across her features. When she ended the healing technique, all that was left of her were two green circles.

She drew herself closer, standing on her toes. Her head rose; lips approaching my ear.

"Do what you have to do." she whispered. She stepped back, looking away. She shook with suppressed tears then looked back up. Sakura wasn't crying anymore. She slapped me and turned. "That's for hurting Naruto."

Naruto looked at me, startled by the sudden noise. After a moment's silence, Sakura took Naruto's hand, then mine, and walked us back to the village.

* * *

I stared at the ceiling. It was dark so I could not see the plastered surface. I just knew it was there. But then again, I wasn't _really _there. The simulation told me there was a ceiling, and I expected it to exist even out of my sight. In the end, all was bits and electrons.

I thought back to the events of the night. I couldn't sleep for my body refused to rest. Naruto was a nutjob, as I had guessed. He felt loyal to his lost teammate, even as the same person he had sworn to protect abandoned him. To know that his dearest friend was growing into the antithesis of all of his dreams and ideals was breaking him. I was offering Naruto a solution he didn't want. If I killed Sasuke, Naruto would feel as if he had betrayed himself. He'd think of himself as a failure for not being able to protect his friend Sasuke, whatever the circumstances.

But I could not yield to his distress. I could not accommodate for his feelings if it came at the expense of my escape from this simulation.

Sakura had taken the logical option and accepted what was going to happen. Sasuke would eventually be killed, at my hands or those of another. Her decision did not reduce her pain though. She was the one who had burdened Naruto with returning Sasuke to her and she knew how much it hurt her teammate to try and do that.

I grinned. Why should I care about what two virtual beings felt? I should manipulate them and sacrifice them when it was needed to further my goals.

My forced smile fell. As much as I tried, I couldn't think of Naruto and Sakura as anything else than people I cared about. Each time I devised a scheme where I held Naruto hostage or sacrificed Sakura for some goal, I looked back at those tearful green eyes and threw the idea away.

I got up. I reached out from memory and pulled aside the curtains. The moon was hidden by thick clouds. Sliding the window open, I went through a list of people I could talk to at this hour.

* * *

I opened a window for the second time that evening. I stepped inside and slid it closed by pushing on its metal frame.

As expected, the man had heard me enter and was wide awake.

"A little late for a visit, eh?" the man said.

I took a seat next to the bed.

"Kakashi … sensei, I need to ask you something."

The silver haired jounin turned to face me.

"Visiting hours are over"

"Yes, but this is urgent. It's about Naruto. I don't know how he will react when … when we'll face Sasuke." I said.

Kakashi turned to stare at the ceiling. After a little while, he spoke.

"As you probably know by now, Naruto is a jinchuuriki." He turned to face with one eye open. "Because of that; he has been ostracized by the villagers throughout his whole life. When Naruto joined the academy, he was at the bottom of the class. He spent his time playing pranks instead of studying. Eventually, he joined a genin team. There, he found someone… someone who could understand him."

We spoke for several hours; he revealed what I already knew, but made me look at Naruto from a different angle. The blond wasn't just trying to protect a friend or impress Sakura. Sasuke represented one of his life's goals. He would deal with the problem on his own because he felt as if it was his own fault that he couldn't prevent his rival from going down the path of vengeance.

By the time I left, I both pitied and envied Naruto. I pitied the way he hurt himself trying to achieve an impossible task. I envied the way he could push himself to against the odds, oblivious to those who refused to believe in him.

* * *

We were summoned to Tsunade's office the following morning. Sakura was already there, becoming silent and uneasy in my presence. Her tearful figure enshrouded in shadows from last night overlapped the one I saw.

We were told to wait for the Hokage by Shizune. Naruto arrived late. He flew through the window and rolled on the floor, knocking over two piles of scrolls. His hair was messier than usual and his shirt was open. He couldn't have had a restful night's sleep either, I thought.

Sakura snapped out of her resigned silence when the blond arrived. She glaring at him, hands on her hips. I remembered our first meeting; the two of them had devised an act to wipe away all traces of their inner turmoil. The girl glanced at his crotch before huffing and lining up next to me. Naruto blushed before he looked down. His zipper was open.

Tsunade slammed the door shut. A bowl of hot coffee and three scrolls were balanced in her arms. Her gaze lingered on each of us before she sat down behind her desk.

"The expedition is in five days." she declared. "We are short of shinobi and frankly, the council doesn't want us chasing rogue ninjas right now."

She sipped her coffee. When she opened her eyes again, she was looking at Naruto.

"I've talked the elders out of keeping you locked up in the village. The Akatsuki is looking for you and I don't want to lose the Kyuubi to those _fuckers_."

Ouch. She wasn't the only one who had a rough morning. She set her bowl of coffee on the table as if suddenly disgusted by its taste.

"Kakashi won't be able to return to active duty before you set off. However, I've found a replacement." The woman pointed a painted nail at Naruto. "You have to prove you can control the Kyuubi."

"Control?" I asked.

"The council is complaining about his lack of suitable training in the matter. I convinced them on the promise that he'll be able to use the power of the Kyuubi on command." the Hokage answered sternly.

I looked over to Naruto. He was scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. I frowned.

"Suitable training?" Naruto was interested too.

"They want to turn him into a weapon, like the other villages." she spat out.

I opened my mouth to question the Hokage further but was interrupted when her fist slammed onto the desk. Her cup tipped over and spilled its contents. The dark brown fluid flowed with the slight curve of the wood and reached one of the scrolls Tsunade had brought with her.

The Fifth Hokage grabbed the scroll, shook it and threw it over to Sakura. Drops of coffee stained the girl's outfit as she caught it.

"Dismissed" the Hokage said, shooing us away.

As I closed the door to her office, I heard her call for something stronger than coffee.

* * *

We met again at the designated spot an hour later. Sakura had changed her red top for an unstained one. Naruto had combed his hair. I'd given up my thick black cloak because of the warm weather. The three of us stood well apart from each other.

Eventually, a ninja walked out of the shadows. beneath a covered alley. He was tall and muscular and his attire was identical to Kakashi's. A forehead protector extended past his temples and framed his face down to the chin.

"Hello" he said. "I'm honored to replace your sensei while he recovers."

Silence.

"I am sure we will co-operate and deal with the difficult mission ahead of us. Did you read the mission scroll?"

Quick nods.

"Well then, since you are acquainted with the details, let's get to work! First off, introduce yourselves." he suggested with a smile.

A bird sang a little tune then flew away. A dog barked. An old man cursed out loud.

"Okay, well … I'll start. I'll be your captain for this mission. Call me Yamato. I was trained by the ANBU corps. Your turn now!" he said, pointing at the blond.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki." the teenager started, excitement growing. "I hope we will … capture … Sasuke … urgh"

Having reminded himself of the reason behind everyone's bad mood, he returned to his sour expression and hunched back. Yamato pointed at Sakura. She blew out her frustration but she didn't seem to possess her usual volatile self. Maybe this whole situation was bringing back painful memories of Team 7's first meeting with their former sensei.

"Sakura Haruno. I'll do what you ask of us."

Finally, it was my turn. While I didn't display Naruto's open brooding or Sakura's barely hidden irritation, my stiff posture and expressionless face didn't keep out all hints of annoyance.

"Kenobi, from the Earth."

I said no more. My dossier was surely on top of a pile of scrolls at ANBU headquarters. Yamato nodded.

"Ah, I see. I'm guessing you three aren't happy to work together. I've got just what we need to fix that!"

* * *

Naruto rubbed his hands and grinned. Sakura smiled and bowed in thank to her new sensei. I chose to take up a more relaxed demeanor. Yamato split his chopsticks.

In front of us, three tables were covered in various dishes and pastries. A huge boiled lobster crowned the meal.

"Can we eat all that?" Naruto asked, his mouth watering. The man nodded. Naruto's chopsticks darted to the closest plate.

"It's delicious!" squeaked Sakura, cheeks rosy in delight.

I tasted some of the various dishes. Most of the food was either sickly sweet, tasted like cold snot or was drenched in bitter sauce. I stuck to the rice and the sliced goose.

A few minutes later, I noticed them stare at me between mouthfuls. They must have noticed my frowns and forced gulps as I tasted the various dishes.

"What?" I asked.

"Something not to your taste?" Yamato asked serenely.

"Well … I prefer what I had back home." I retorted before realizing that he could be offended. "Th-Thank you for inviting us." I added, stabbing something random with my chopsticks.

I looked at what I held. A roll of fried seafood wrapped in a leaf dripping with a green sauce. Hooo boy. The three of them stared expectantly. I lifted it to my mouth.


	8. Part 3: Training

**Exit Strategy** by krakonfive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it? OC x Canon Naruto Shippuden. Science fiction themes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**New chapter **every Thursday.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

The longest chapter so far.

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**PART 3**

**II- TRAINING**

The lunch extended into a long recount of the month's events.

I explained my reasons for joining Konoha. Sakura spoke of her training with Tsunade and how she felt dissatisfied with her role in Gaara's rescue. Naruto gave hints of his travels with Jiraiya and how he had chased Deidara until the Kyuubi's chakra consumed him, were it not for Kakashi's intervention.

"Okay, I see now how we should proceed" Yamato eventually said.

He cleared a the empty dishes from a table and unrolled a scroll on top of it. It was a mission schedule. He told us to sit next to him then pointed at five notches.

"These … are empty days" he explained. His breath had a whiff of alcohol. "I am supposed to prepare you three for the expedition in this time. If we devote the day before we leave to rest, we only have four days to train."

He looked at each of us in turn, lingering on Naruto. He lifted three fingers.

"Three problems have to be resolved. First: your teamwork. You haven't seen each other for over two years... even since then you've mostly fought separate battles. You need to re-learn how to cooperate and take advantage of each other's strengths." He dropped a finger.

"Second is the demon's chakra. This mission was explicitly allowed based on Tsunade's promise that you will be able to control the Kyuubi."

Naruto's shoulders slumped.

"Don't worry, Naruto. I have devised a special training for you."

Yamato dropped another finger and pointed at me.

"The third problem is you."

I lifted an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"These two have known each other for years. While this is only a temporary position for the duration of the mission, you are still a member of this team. They have to be able to rely on you. You've only met them two weeks ago, am I right?"

I nodded.

"Two weeks is not enough to form a proper team. Some ninjas take years before they operate as a single unit. That is time we do not have. For that reason, I have devised another special training method."

"Huh?!" Naruto cried. He waved his hands. "What about _my _special training?"

Yamato chuckled.

"Naruto, I never said I'd be training you separately. I'm training you three to work as a team after all."

* * *

Two hours later, Team Yamato was warming up on Training ground 24.

We started by doing a series of pushups, taijutsu stances, laps and stretching exercises. Yamato sat with his legs crossed on the grass, occasionally snapping orders but mostly had his eyes closed, meditating.

"What's he doing?" I asked Naruto between two deep breaths.

"Gathering chakra of course" the blond replied. "Can't you feel it building up?"

He gave me a quizzical look as I lengthened my strides and pulled ahead.

I hadn't used my wires to relieve my arms and legs from the effort, so by the time the former ANBU agent called for a stop, I was breathing much more heavily than the other two ninjas.

The man spoke once we sat down in front of him, wrestling with our lungs for control.

"For the next four days, you will follow a training course that will improve teamwork, endurance and Naruto's control over the Kyuubi all at once."

He put his hands together, fingers making a seal.

"How?" I asked, visibly interested.

Yamato smiled. Wooden beams started rising from the ground behind him. They enclosed a circle as they rose higher and higher while gaining thickness. Yamato's fingers shifted position twice. The wooden beams now sprouted crisscrossing branches, joining and weaving into a solid wall. By the time the dust cleared, a wooden dome covered most of the training ground.

"Wow! That's so cool Yamato-sensei!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura gave Yamato a puzzled look.

"How-How can you use wood-jutsu? Isn't the First Hokage the only person able to do that?" she asked.

"How perceptive of you, Sakura." He gave a her a light smile. "I have Hashirama's DNA."

"REALLY?" Naruto gasped. He frowned trying to remember biology classes. "But … you don't look like him."

"Well … eh, I can't tell you more than that. The information is classified." Yamato said firmly, ending the interrogation. He pointed to his wooden construction.

"Within the dome is a chakra-suppressing area I created. Once inside, I will ask of you to release the Kyuubi's chakra."

The jinchuuriki's eyes widened at the request. So far, he had only been trained to suppress the demon's chakra, not release it. He closed his jaw and placed his arm behind his head.

"I can't do that sensei! Kyuubi doesn't come out when I'm like … not angry or anything." he said, laughing nervously.

"I understand that. Jiraiya explained that the Kyuubi emerges when you are emotionally unstable." He ignored the blond's embarrassment "That is why I'm relying on an alternative method: you are going to drain all of your chakra. Without your own reserves it will be impossible to resist a transformation."

"That's dangerous…" Sakura started.

"Jiraiya-sama told me to never do that!" Naruto interrupted, shaking his head vigorously.

"Did he tell you why, Naruto?" Yamato questioned.

Naruto scratched his head, looking ashamed.

"The perv-guy said if I would start drawing into the Kyuubi's chakra it would… make me… not myself" He looked down, dejected. "When it takes over, I don't remember anything. It could attack one of you!"

Yamato stared intently at the nervous blond for a moment.

"The protections put in place will prevent any harm from coming to us in that event. It is built from wood that can absorb the demon's chakra. Once you are inside, even if you lose control, the Kyuubi will be contained." he reassured. "To drain your chakra, I need you to make lots of clones. Kenobi and Sakura will fight these clones using tactics I will dicta-"

"Yamato-sensei!" Yamato frowned. "Emm, I was going to tell you, but… I've never been able to drain my chakra. I mean, even after I create hundreds of clones, I'm not drained."

The temporary captain gave another quiet chuckle.

"Let me finish next time, okay?" he chastisised with a hint of humor. "I know that you can create thousands of clones, but that is only possible when you tap into your _other _reserves. I was going to ask you to create clones from your _personal _chakra. Can you do that for me?"

"Emm, well," Naruto stalled, aware that his chakra control was poor. "I'll try?"

"I'll trust Jiraiya's meditation exercises will let you isolate your natural chakra."

He ignored Sakura's muffled snigger. Naruto _meditating_. "You two, this is a teamwork exercise. Your objective is not to attack but to defend from the clones. Cover each other. We'll start off without ninjutsu."

Yamato motioned for us to stand up. Naruto went with the senior ninja while Sakura and I trotted off to the arena. We stopped at the largest gap in the wall.

Sakura scowled.

"Knowing Naruto, we'll be waiting for hours before he learns to separate his chakras. Bah! What do we do?" she grumbled, kicking into the grass.

I observed her. She was annoyed, but her anger didn't have the clear, unrestrained intensity she had displayed when I first met her at the ramen bar. Sakura was hesitating and she sounded as if she was constantly worried about something, even if she tried to hide it. The kunoichi had put up a cheerful facade in Yamato's presence, but it was however terribly easy to look under it.

"What are you staring at?!" the pink haired girl spat, fist ready to strike.

I smiled. Treating me like Naruto was probably her way of accepting me into Team 7.

"Wipe that freaky grin off your face!"

She shook her fist. I evaluated the distance between us: around two full length strides.

"We should spar while we wait." I told her calmly.

"Hell yeah! I so want to kick your-"

I dropped. I pushed myself forwards with my toes as I fell. I brought one arm under my chest to cushion the fall and once within reach, my other hand gripped the kunoichi's ankle. I clawed at the soil to push further. My elbow rose to touch her knee. Then, I pulled her foot under my neck.

Her foot was a lever, her knee the hinge. She was thrown to the ground, one leg extended. I released her foot and rolled out of the way of her efforts to free her ankle.

I got up on all fours. I looked across the trampled grass to see her rub her bruised bottom.

"Ass?" I teased.

She jumped up and attacked me without pause, cheeks rosy not just from the exertion.

Sakura's movements were faster than Naruto's. The blond's taijutsu was simple but effective, but he only ever used his fists for punching and his feet for kicking. Sakura had a better teacher. Instead of blocking my jabs and stabs, she deflected and dodged. Many times she broke the engagement by taking a few steps back, waiting for me to attack again.

I smiled when she slapped my arm, extended for a grab, to the side; she rotated into my guard and crashed the back of her head into my chin.

"Freaky grin!" she cried as I stumbled backwards.

I let myself fall backwards, twisting sideways to land on one hand and aim a quick kick to her head. She dodged, killed her momentum and grabbed my extended foot. Her fist swung in a painful arc into my stomach.

Okay, she had her fun now. She let go of my leg and stepped back.

I rolled into a ball and stood up. I tested my hurting muscles. A complete contraction would not be possible. Change of strategy.

I launched at the pink haired girl, arms extended. She aimed her fist at my head, shoulders twisting. I managed to get hold of her wrist, sliding until my hand was wrapped around her forearm. I pulled. She lost her balance; I slammed into her. The motion induced a spin and I was yanked to a stop as we both reached the maximal extension of our arms. I lost my grip until my fingers were around her wrist.

We both staggered to a standstill; she was coughing from the hit to her chest. She stared at our locked hands. I spun and reeled her in… for an elbow strike to the ribs. I stopped her right handed punch with a raised knee.

We stood at arm's length again. Our left arms were occupied, but it was an advantage for me. I fought better close in.

This time she initiated the attack. She kicked upwards, aiming at my extended arm. I pulled her arm down and to the right, to the level of my hip, making her lose her balance before she completed the kick.

She twisted in the air and fell on her back. She brought a leg under her. I back stepped and dragged her with me, making her fall again.

She punched my leg up over her head. It was weak; she could not put any power into it while she hung a few centimeters off the ground.

"Give up?" I asked.

She thrashed to liberate her trapped wrist.

"No?"

Chakra flared. She displayed her superhuman force by pulling on my arm and rolling upwards. Her foot loosened to add a kick to her roll. I used my magnetic powers in retaliation, throwing her into the air. She cried in surprise and flailed her arms to maintain balance and land of her feet.

Once again we were several meters apart. My left hand burned.

She grunted while flexing her fingers before falling into a defensive position.

"Kenobi, Sakura, come on!" we heard.

Naruto was calling us from inside the dome. I looked over to Sakura. She gave me a 'Hn!' before marching to the training area. I followed her, dusting myself and picking off blades of grass that had stuck to my clothes. My arms hurt from blocking her hits and I was sure that my abdomen would remain sore for a long time.

The dome looked like a woven basket turned upside down. The branches became thinner as they rose, letting in mottled light. The center of the clearing held a ring of wooden poles studded with spikes. Naruto jumped up and down excitedly in the middle. As soon as I stood next to Sakura, he cried 'Kage Bunshin!' and clones started pouring out of the enclosure.

* * *

At first, we fought separate battles while staying nearby. Sometimes I tried getting closer to her for the sake of teamwork, but most of the time I was surrounded and halted by orange-clad ninjas.

After an hour, Yamato called for a pause. Searching for the origin of the voice, I saw the sensei just outside of the walls, looking through a gap in the wood.

Sakura was exhausted and sported many bruises. I was drained and was forcing my muscles to move. I sat, ignoring the pain as I crossed my legs. Naruto was sitting cross legged as well and had his eyes closed. A red aura emanated from him, wisps of it extending outward and disappearing into Yamato's pillars. Somehow, he was warming the surrounding air and the occasional breezes were turned into gusts of heat when they passed through the center.

"That's no good, you two!" the senior ninja lectured as soon as we stepped outside. "You were supposed to work together, not ignore each other!"

We acknowledged his remark and promised to do better. He gave us fifteen minutes of rest, which I used to stretch and squeeze the lactic acid out of my muscles. While doing her own stretches, Sakura watched me, amused at my tiredness.

"Something you like?" I taunted from a distance.

"You're sweating like a pig! You probably stink too." she answered, extending her legs flat on the ground.

"Ha! Come closer to make a better judgment!" I teased.

"Never!"

"Well, dear Captain Yamato wants us to work together, does he not?" I asked, looking over to the former ANBU.

"Kenobi, behave."

* * *

An hour later, Sakura and I were back to back defending from a hail of punches and flying kicks. Sakura had slowed down, but she reliably destroyed a clone whenever her fist connected. I was relying on my wires to accelerate my strikes, but the background pain from using my magnetic powers to move the wires around my limbs made me less aware of my surroundings. This lead to gaps in my defenses. The clones never failed to take advantage of them and an unexpected strike always followed.

I ducked under a punch and rammed a fist into my assailant. He burst into smoke after I drove his ribcage inwards. I would have been laughed in relief at the ease with which I could use the wire frame if I wasn't obliged to strictly regulate my breathing.

The wave of clones paused to reform their battle formation.

I nudged Sakura.

"Hey!" I whispered. "Come closer, I can't cover you!"

She glared at me before stepping closer, eyes darting over to Naruto's chakra bubbling out of his skin.

* * *

A second hour passed. Sakura and I had found our respective paces and were trying to combine our attacks. However, she was panting and receiving hits every time she stepped away from me. I felt like a standing mass of bruises. Even my eye movements were slowing! Fighting tens of clones at once meant I had to shift my sight from one to another rapidly again and again. My mind wasn't slowed down by being based on a physical brain, so over time I noticed the lag between what I could see and what I was actually reacting to. I grimaced. Yes, reacting. I was much faster than Naruto and could counter all and every one of his unarmed techniques but when dozens of attacks were initiated from just as many directions, I was the one trying to keep up.

A third hour passed since our last respite. I looked up and scowled at the unblinking observer of the scene. Heh, so this was his idea of endurance training, I mused.

Sakura shivered now and her pink hair was clumped by sweat. My own lungs burned, my knuckles were bleeding and I had to break through several cramps a minute. I was relying entirely on magnetic pushes and pulls to keep my arms and legs moving. Despite myself, I was being distracted by the malevolent chakra emanating from Naruto. The blond was now prowling on all four limbs, three flaming tails swaying lazily over his head. Every now and then, his fanged jaws would open to release a bestial howl. The clones still poured out of the enclosure; he still hadn't drained his chakra. I wondered what he'd turn into when he ran out of chakra and stopped using the Kage Bunshin technique.

The kunoichi staggered from a kick, colliding with me and making me miss an opening in a clone's taijutsu combo. I received both punches in the ribs. Recovering in time, I blocked the following heel strike and accelerated my foot into an undefended abdomen. I was rewarded by a cloud of wind and chakra.

I turned to pull Sakura away from a flying kick she hadn't seen coming. She in turn pushed an arm under my armpit to destroy a clone behind me. We both grinned while I helped her to her feet-

"Naruto, you've gone too far!"

We look up to see Yamato descend from the dome's roof on a twisting beam of wood. The elite jounin actually looked frightened.

A wild roar made us freeze in place. A red glow matching that of the setting sun filled the dome, its reflection in the searing air dancing like fire. The horde of clones paused and turned to their creator.

Naruto was now supported by limbs formed of chakra. His body was covered by a viscous, bubbling substance. Through it we could see his skin splitting open and reforming constantly in a disturbing manner. The blond's face was the most frightening of all. It was a mix of human and fox, eyes red and sporting vertical slits for retinas. They shifted left and right, predatory. Suddenly, they locked onto us. Sakura gasped. I felt the unrestrained thirst for blood emanating from the monster. The creature unhinged its jaws and released another deafening roar in our direction. I created a shield and pulled Sakura behind it. She was shivering.

Yamato sprang into action. He flew through seals before he slammed his palms on the ground. Wood pierced the soil under Naruto's paws and entangled him. The creature resisted, making the restraints crack and splinter. Without hesitation, the jounin ran up to the monster. I was wide-eyed at the man's recklessness. Sakura gasped and gripped my arm. She was staring at Naruto, unbelieving.

I heard a thunderous crack. The thick coils around the creature's neck had been crushed and fragments of wood were sent flying across the clearing. Some slammed into my shield. I felt the projectiles scratch and dent the metal. I then froze; my mouth wide open. Yamato had been hit by the bulk of the fragments, being so close. Nothing was left of his flak jacket but ribbons hanging onto his shoulders. His chest and stomach were torn and wet with blood. I watched as the man halted only for a few seconds before forming a seal and applying his palm on the monster's chest. Immediately, a green light erupted from the point of contact and ghostly arms wrapped themselves around the red chakra. The creature's roars were supplanted by howls of pain.

Yamato staggered to the edge of the clearing, supporting himself on one of the wooden beams. His hand was badly burnt. Sakura and I leapt to carry him away from the chaos before he collapsed.

I reformed the shield into a levitating stretcher. The pink-haired kunoichi helped me unload the injured ninja absent-mindedly. I needed to curve the edges upwards so that – Where was she?! I swiveled to search for Sakura. There! The teenager was taking hesitant steps towards the monster, arm outstretched. She was muttering, transfixed by the flashing clash of chakras. To me, she was just putting herself in harm's way.

I dashed to her side and dragged her along. She followed but not without looking back several times, tears in her eyes. What was she thinking?! As I guided the stretcher through a gap between two pillars of the arena, I cursed myself. This was Sakura! She had sworn to protect her teammates, even from themselves. And here she was, meters away from a suffering Naruto. She would try, I thought, she would try even if she didn't know what to do, despite the danger. I yanked her arm when she paused to look back again.

Minutes later, I was trying to get Sakura to heal Yamato. She knew what to do, and she joined her glowing hands above the man's wounds as I had seen her do before. However, Naruto's cries disturbed her, causing the glow to flicker and fade. She was racked by sobs and tears streamed down her face. She looked pitiful and helpless and her chakra was draining to no effect. Smoke erupted from the dome, wood catching fire from the heat as it succumbed without Yamato's repairs.

I pulled her up to her feet. She flailed for me to let her go but froze when I wrapped my arms around her. I forced my breathing to slow and my face to take a neutral expression; the objective was to calm her down after all. Slowly, she raised her hands and held them against my back. The kunoichi shivered then overcame the barriers that separated us. The girl shook and cried in despair, tightening her hold. "Naruto, I'm sorry … I can't … I'm sorry …" she repeated. I held her until the trembling subsided and her grip loosened.

"Kenobi, I'm okay now… I…" she whispered.

I let her go. She looked away, ashamed. Before she stepped away, I put a hand under her chin and made her look at me. No new tears were forming.

"I'll get Naruto out of there. You heal Yamato. Can you do that?" I asked firmly.

She nodded and went to her patient's side. I marched back towards the dome.

* * *

The demonic cloak had nearly subsided. It had been pulled back inside of Naruto, revealing deeply burnt skin. However, he now lay curled up in a crater of smoking grass and soil as burning fragments of wood fell from the dome's roof. The fire was spreading and if I left him there, he'd die. Naruto's own chakra was depleted and the demon could not save him, having been repressed by the seal.

I approached carefully, pausing only to dodge the larger blocks of smoking wood. The green chakra disappeared in turn and the only light source became the blazing pillars surrounding the blond. As I got closer, the air scratched my lungs. The heat became unbearable near the shivering body: Naruto's skin was hotter than the flames that threatened him. My breaths became shallower and I felt dizzy. Dammit, I thought. My diaphragm had been pushed to its limits already, it couldn't handle additional strain. I lacked air.

Well, there was always an advantage in being able to move your limbs by pushing and pulling the wires: I didn't need to be conscious.

I forced my legs to move until I was crouching next to Naruto. I blacked out. Shit. Being blind was all I needed to make for a great day. I maneuvered my arms over the source of the heat. My hands ignored the orders I sent them. Changing tactic, I pushed my arms under the body. The pain woke me up for a few seconds, but my eyes closed again soon after. I ordered my arms to rise then approach my chest. With the smoldering ninja in position, I pulled on my legs. Pressure on my back, lack of it on my feet… I now levitated my arms. I lifted all the metal around my limbs at once. The heat on my chest did not move.

My body formed a U shape with Naruto in the middle. Trying to remember the position of the nearest entrance, I left the dome.

Once the cold air hit me, I let go. My limbs fell to the ground and Naruto rolled onto the grass. The minute I took to regain control over my body felt like an eternity. My eyes fluttered open. I looked sideways, coughing the smoke out of my lungs. The orange-clad ninja had regrown his skin but wasn't moving. I forced my muscles to move and achieve an upright position. My chest was red and blistered under my shirt. Once again, I erected a mental barrier to the pain so that I could lift Naruto onto my shoulder and stumble away from the dome.

Sakura had finished with Yamato. The cuts were numerous but neither deep nor threatening. She was rubbing ointment onto the man's wounds when she saw me. I heard an audible gasp as she sprung to her feet and leapt to my side. Naruto was transferred from one set of shoulders to another. He wasn't burning hot anymore, but he did have a feverish temperature.

I forced a smile and walked up to the levitating stretcher. Yamato looked up at the conglomerate of bruises, burns and aching muscles. I carefully lowered the stretcher to the ground and lay myself on the cool grass. The world faded to black.


	9. Part 3: Konoha 11

**Exit Strategy** by krakonfive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it? OC x Canon Naruto Shippuden. Science fiction themes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

Early chapter, folks! Had to post today since I'll be busy tomorrow.

For all those passing through here, don't hesitate to drop a few words in the review box ;D !

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 3**

**III- KONOHA 11**

I woke up in a hospital bed.

No IV feed and I still wore my trousers: my injuries must have been deemed minor enough. A spike of pain answered my attempt to sit up.

How long was I going to wait until I recovered? I didn't have time to waste! I forced myself into a seated position, impatience growing. I hated hospitals. Looking around, I saw morning sunlight stream through a window. A thick green curtain suspended from the ceiling separated me from the rest of the room. Tray with uneaten food to the left, two chairs to the right. Yamato snored softly in one chair; Sakura's bag was on the other.

I coughed. It wasn't hard given the state of my lungs.

The jounin blinked and turned to look at me. His chest and stomach were bandaged but he now had a new flak jacket.

"You shouldn't be moving." he said, nearly whispering.

"_You _shouldn't be up." I retorted.

"I recovered. But you… Sakura told me what you did."

A spike of fear twsited my gut. I had been careless and used abilities I hadn't revealed so far. I thought back to Kakashi's surveillance mission. Had I lost Konoha's trust already? I started formulating excuses using what little I knew of the Eart-

"It was very brave of you to do that. You care for them more than you admit." He frowned. "You shouldn't hide your capabilities from your team though."

I opened my mouth to protest. He silenced me by raising his hand.

"Rest for today. Tomorrow we'll train ninjutsu."

He stood up and saw my gaze wander to the chair next to him. His from gave way to a smile.

"Don't worry, Kenobi. She's with Naruto." he said in a reassuring tone, pointing to the curtain.

He walked around my bed and passed the curtain. Before the fabric swung back into place, I glimpsed Sakura snoring beside another hospital bed. A tangle of yellow hair was visible from under the covers.

Well, I thought, with both its boys in bed, Team 7 wouldn't reprise training for another day. That'd give me 24 hours to think of how I'd handle the volatile kunoichi. I went back to sleep.

* * *

My thoughts alternated between Naruto's demonic transformation and Sakura. How would she react to my hug? I wondered if she wanted violent retribution for violating her personal space. I went through the possible outcomes. She'd avoid me and training together would be become difficult. On the other hand, the girl would dismiss it and never mention it again. Oddly, I didn't want her to do so.

* * *

The hours passed slowly. Nurses came and went.

I amused myself with a sound amplifier until I could single out conversations. Most were orders from doctors to subordinates or gossip between nurses.

My following occupation was making smaller and smaller pieces of metal spin faster and faster in tighter and tighter circles. I reached my limit when the metal itself began flowing like a liquid, having been subjected to too much stress.

Sakura got up and left at around ten in the morning. I hid myself under the covers when she pulled the curtains to peek. I added a snore to convince her to leave. Damn girl, I wasn't ready for my punishment yet! She left and I sighed in relief.

Naruto woke at midday. He refused to eat the hospital food, but didn't have to go hungry. A girl and three boys visited him, offering something that made him squeal in delight. The smell made my mouth water in my room. I felt a pang of envy at the way he received visitation, but I suppressed it. My contacts were limited to Team 7 after all.

The blond ate his food, voicing compliments. When he put his tray down, I stole his fork and knife by levitating them under the curtain. I needed that mass of metal to play with.

My amusement was cut short when he fidgeted uncontrollably in his bed. He was annoying and broke my concentration whenever I tried an exercise. Giving up, I carefully molded the fork into ear plugs.

I was forming a correctly proportioned model of the solar system when I paused to listen. I heard a faint buzzing sound that was too loud to be nervous hypersensitivity. When Neptune moved into position; the buzzing became louder before subsiding. After making the metal orbit above the hospital bed, I concentrated on the noise. It increased whenever I used my magnetic powers and changed pitch or tone depending on what I did. There had to be a relation.

It took an hour for me to realize what was happening. My earplugs were vibrating in resonance with the variations in the magnetic fields I generated. In turn, they created a sound. I felt myself compelled to find a way to abuse this phenomenon.

* * *

Several hours later, Naruto scratched his ear. The tickling sensation stopped. He went back to playing cards with his clone when - gah! Something was in his ear! He started probing his ear tunnel with his little finger. His confused clone snuck a look at his creator's cards.

"Stop it!"

He swung his head trying to find who had spoken.

"It's me. Can't you recognize the voice?"

The blond frowned. His clone exchanged a few cards.

"Kakashi-sensei?" he asked. He got out of bed, still scratching his ear.

I adjusted the flexibility of the metal dish attached to his eardrum.

"Can you hear me now?" I muttered.

"Kenobi? Where are you?!" he shouted. He glanced at his clone searching for a card in the deck. He dispelled him with a scowl.

"Not so loud!" I winced. "I'm in the room next to you."

I watched as the sixteen year old pulled aside the curtains and grinned.

"There you are! No-one told me you were… GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" he screamed.

I chuckled. "I'm not in your head! There's a piece of metal in your ear making the sound."

He frowned and stopped scratching. I cut the link since he could hear me normally now.

"Well then get it out of me!" he grumbled, crossing his arms. I nodded without doing anything.

"It's gone." I told him then patted my bed. "Come here."

The ninja sprung onto the bed and stared intently at my figure. He looked slightly worried.

"I'm fine, Naruto. I'm tired, that is all. I'm not injured." I reassured him.

He pointed to the bandages on my chest.

"Those are new. What happened?"

"Oh, these? Nothing, nothing at all!"

I grinned. He knew I was lying and started to look nervous. Maybe he'd made the connection between my injuries and his loss of control over the Kyuubi. I needed him to return to his normal self.

"Hey, I think I can walk now. Wanna go out?" I proposed.

His frown left him and he smiled.

"Sure! I'll get my clothes and show you around! There's something being prepared for you too!"

I refrained from asking for further details.

* * *

My right thigh was stiff, so I limped my way outside. I didn't have the time nor the metal to loop wires around my arms and legs, so I couldn't correct my gait.

The evening air was chilled and grey clouds formed overhead. I took a deep breath, savoring the various odors and aromas. It was like rediscovering the sense of smell; the stench of disinfectant was overpowering in the hospital. Naruto hopped and skipped around me, happy to leave his room. He could not stomach immobility for long, I realized. Neither could I.

We first went to my hotel room to check out. I had an envelope waiting on my doorstep: payment for my part in saving the Kazekage. I rolled the bills and slipped them inside a pocket. I didn't have many belongings but Naruto held the small bag I had packed for me without asking. I looked over at him. Naruto usually didn't express himself very well. Right now he oscillated between over joyous and nervous, between being overbearingly attentive and lost in thought. I waited until he was silent, staring at the street as he walked.

"Don't take it out on yourself, Naruto!" I said. "You did your best, didn't you?"

He looked up with a confused expression. I read surprise, shame then gratitude on his face.

"Kenobi … yeah, I did. It was hard pushing back the demon for so long." He clenched his fists and looked down again. "I should have tried harder. I injured you and Sakura. It could have-"

I laid a hand on his shoulder to stop him from spiraling into self-recriminations. He looked up in surprise.

"You tried your best and that is what counts. Naruto, your efforts were destined to control the Kyuubi's chakra better, were they not?" I asked, adding a reassuring smile.

He nodded slowly.

"Your efforts were intended to prevent yourself from harming us. It is an admirable objective and I should be_ thanking_ you for doing so. Don't worry about losing control; it's better here than during a mission..."

The blond was now staring at me with watery eyes. Before the blond broke down into tears and hugs, I assumed a rigid posture and resumed walking. Naruto wiped his eyes and sped to keep up.

* * *

Our first stop was to collect Sakura. She lived in a two floor house not much different from the row of other houses on the street. The pink-haired kunoichi stepped out in a knee-length red robe, a black handbag and high heels. Naruto erupted into a flow of awkward compliments on her dress. She punched his head when he misinterpreted her intentions. He got up, sulking and we reprised our route to the center of Konoha.

After a few minutes, I noticed Sakura was giving me more glances than usual. What did she want? Was I ill-dressed for the occasion? Had I done something? I was pretty sure that I had maintained a neutral expression and avoided staring at her.

She looked me in the eyes again with an angry expression and turned away. Aha! Sakura was a girl and girls wanted to be noticed.

I rewarded Sakura by shamelessly wandering my eyes down her dress. I pretending I hadn't noticed her watching. When I reached her knees, I looked away and continued as if nothing had happened. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a slight smile and a hint of a blush. Having dealt with the situation, I went back to planning and setting up cover stories.

* * *

The second place we stopped at was not far from Sakura's house. At an intersection, two girls and three boys waited. I took a moment to put a name on each unfamiliar face. They were Ino, Hinata, Shino, Kiba and Neji. Ino wore a revealing purple dress, Neji was wearing formal clan robes and Kiba had civilian clothing. Shino and Hinata were in their usual clothing but without their headbands.

Ino spoke first.

"Oh that's the cute boy you mentioned!" she said, nudging Naruto.

She bowed before me. I did the same.

"Eh… Hi. I'm Kenobi. I come from-" I started before being interrupted.

"Doesn't matter!" the blue eyed girl said. "Come on, we're having fun tonight!"

Neji did not express his enthusiasm.

I shortened the questioning about my origins and my reasons for joining Team 7 by mentioning Sasuke. They then left me alone and I efficiently excluded myself from the discussions and drifted to the back. Surprisingly, Hinata ended up next to me. The quiet Hyuuga's pale features, bordered by impeccably combed waist-length hair, were marred by reddened cheeks. I watched her until I was sure that she was fixated on Naruto before returning to the observation of the new characters.

Kiba Inuzuka was leading the group. He made jokes continuously, to which Naruto obliged by laughing loudly and 'improving' them with even more lurid content. When his nose twitched and spun to follow a strong odor, I had the distinct impression of watching his dog, Akamaru. The beast wasn't at his sides at the moment: they were reputed inseparable, so I would have to question him on it. Neji didn't join the discussion, preferring to stride proudly ahead of the group. I could sense an aura of irritation around him; I wondered who had dragged him into this. Shino was the complete opposite of the other three. His glasses reflected the flashing lights of the shop signs while the rest of him disappeared along with the dimming light. With his hands in his pockets, head hidden under a hood and body blanketed with a large coat, it was very difficult to read him.

"… if I wanted, I'd sniff them out! That way I'm always safe." boasted Kiba.

"Cheater!" complained Naruto in response. "The only way I know it's that time of the month is when she's hitting me harder than usual!"

"That's because you're an idiot and you deserve it!" Neji snapped.

The group fell silent before collapsing in laughter. I watched Shino. His shoulders trembled slightly. So he was listening! I smiled in triumph as I detected his first reaction to anything. I turned to Ino and Sakura. They too were laughing, but probably at a subject of less dubious nature. Hinata, at my side, frowned as she realized what Naruto and the boys were talking about.

We turned a corner to join a street packed with villagers. Now that darkness had fallen, the multicolored lights and faces rosy from the cold gave an overall festive atmosphere. Cheerful banter formed relaxing rumble in the background. The group had stopped. I gave a questioning look to Naruto. He opened his mouth to explain when a youthful cry was heard. Lee was waving at us from a restaurant. The bright purple and yellow sign spelled 'Barbe-Q' in flashing light bulbs. Green spandex boy was inside, beckoning us to follow. The eight of us started to cross the street, excusing ourselves through a cluster of hungry customers. The chatter had stopped as we were momentarily separated by the human tide. I took the opportunity to cause mischief with wise application of the information I had gathered so far.

"Hey Naruto! Hinata's checking out your butt!"

Naruto jumped at the voice, crashing into an elderly lady. He muttered excuses and helped her up, looking around warily for a pair of perverted, pupil-less eyes. He found the offending Hyuuga and stomped ahead to confront her, slowing down only when he noticed her confused expression.

"Don't scare her! She's very shy when it comes to your big butt." I said.

"Shut up about my butt!" he raged in my direction.

Unfortunately, the girl who had a crush on him was standing next to me and she was turning very red at the orange ninja waving his fist at her. Naruto realized this and stepped closer to explain himself.

"No, I meant … Hinata, it wasn't for you!" He scratched his head then pointed at me vehemently. "I swear its Kenobi! He's… he's in my head and he said you were checking out … my … butt …"

Hinata collapsed when her face turned purple. I caught her and held her upright. Shino was the sole witness to these events and he offered to take her. I was quicker, thrusting the limp body into Naruto's arms.

"Here, you knocked her out, you take care of her!" I said in a serious tone.

The blond glared at me, realizing that I had put him in an awkward situation. He then put his arms under her knees and lower back and carried her to the restaurant. I re-activated my tiny microphone attached to his eardrum.

"No groping while she's out."

Naruto nearly dropped his load and showered me in curses. However, his heart wasn't into it and soon his face wasn't just red from anger.

* * *

Inside the restaurant, Shikamaru, Choji, Lee and Tenten awaited us. We joined them around a low wooden table. Three coal-fired barbeques were already roasting meat. Tenten added a few drops of an unknown sauce to the meat on the grill in front of her. I sat at the opposite end of her cooking.

I introduced myself when my turn came and mentioned my training with Naruto and Sakura for an 'important mission'. It helped that Shino turned out less talkative than me, so I didn't have to force myself to reveal more.

An appetizing smell filled the warm corner delimited by painted walls and a sliding door. The cushion I was seated on was comfortable and the cheerful chatter between old friends was like a distant music I could sleep to.

Sleep.

Damn, I was tired; tired of forcing my muscles past their limits, tired of spending nights planning and scheming and tired of having to maintain the façade and the lies that composed 'Kenobi'. Not having anything to talk about but death and revenge with these people was sickening. I shook the negative thoughts away and removed my cloak. The metal weights I had lined it with made a jangle as I folded the black robe in two. Ino was staring at my chest, elbow nudging Sakura. I looked down. My shirt had short sleeves, so the bandages were visible as they extended up to my throat. The ones wrapped under my chin had been removed to reveal the pink and wrinkled skin that grew over deep burns. Sakura muttered to her blue-eyed friend. I grinned in their direction and loaded my plate with pieces of unseasoned meat.

I looked around as I picked at the squares of salted beef with chopsticks. Neji was calm and his movements looked rehearsed. He wore a white silk gown adorned with a red dragon. Hinata ate the same way he did, but her gaze shifted uncomfortably to the agitated blond next to her. Naruto, Kiba and Lee were playing a loud and exciting game that consisted of snatching pieces of meat from the grill before Choji loaded them all onto his plate. The kunoichi's had formed a girl's corner opposite the rowdy boys and were chattering happily, interrupted occasionally by giggles. I listen for a while, making out the words 'hair', 'perfume' and 'lingerie'.

To my left and right were Shino and Shikamaru. They weren't very talkative, either by nature or because they were too lazy to catch up with the conversation. Lee's flying pork delivery technique misfired and sent the meat sailing through the air in our direction. Before I could react, the bug-user's chopsticks flew from above his plate and caught it. He dropped it behind his collar and it disappeared.

I stared at him for a moment and cleared my throat. Time to start my own party.

Shikamaru spoke first.

"So… Kenobi, right?"

"Yeah" I answered.

"You come from Earth Country? Why, if I may ask?" he said with a bored expression. Shino's glasses were turned a few degrees in my direction; he was interested in the answer too.

"Well … It's not a happy story. It's all got to do with Sasuke …" I let the word hang in the air before continuing in a lower voice. "My village wasn't very important, nor had it ever been involved in any sort of trouble. Four families lived there. Our specialty was swords that could channel chakra very efficiently. Cut through anything and all that."

I looked to both sides. Shino's chopsticks hung in the air. Shikamaru was looking at me, eyes occasionally dipping to my burned neck. I prepared for the next part. My face drained of color, my shoulders tensed and I straightened my back.

"Sasuke attacked us. He killed … everyone. I escaped though, and I have come here to avenge my village. I have nothing now, so I decided to stay here." I paused. "Naruto is the best way to find him anyway."

Shikamaru nodded. His eyes lingered on me as if to tell me he knew I hadn't told him everything.

"You do know Naruto won't take this lightly?" he asked. He looked over to my right.

Shino spoke for the first time in my presence. His voice was deep but monotonous.

"Naruto does not want others to seek revenge. That was the path Sasuke took, and it has led him to become a traitor and an embarrassment to this village. You will have to confront him about this."

He had turned to face me. His shaded face was eerily visible as light shone into the depths of his hood. Even if I could not see his eyes, I could feel them boring into me. This was a cold, logical person who only spoke once he was sure of a fact. To defend Naruto like that… I felt chilled.

"I will do so, and soon." I told him, firmly and with a nod. Satisfied, Shino returned to his meal.

Silence fell at our corner. I looked over to the other side. Ino and Sakura were untying Tenten's buns. Hinata was as red as the coal embers as she whispered something to Naruto. Shikamaru was the one to break the ice.

"Chicken?"

"Sure" I said and handed him my plate.

* * *

We left the restaurant feeling quite full. The streets were empty and several shops had closed down, making the village look strangely abandoned.

I left in the company of Naruto and Sakura. I was happy to get to know the others better. Naruto had held a persistent smile since Hinata had spoken to him. Sakura's cheeks were still rosy from the way the discussion had turned near the end. Discussions between hormonal teenagers always ended up like that.

I looked over to Naruto. He was walking with his arms crossed behind his head, dazed. This was the same boy Shino had stood up for in his own, decisive way. The bug user would eat me alive if I didn't respect my promise to the latter. When I said soon, he'd have wanted me to talk with Naruto the moment we left the restaurant if it meant that Naruto would not get hurt.

Naruto kicked at a stone, unaware of his surroundings. What had the blond done to obtain such devotion from mere comrades? It puzzled me. Maybe I feared the same would happen to me. I activated his earpiece.

"Naruto."

"Hn?"

He stopped and turned before realizing I wasn't speaking to him directly even if I could.

"I need to discuss something with you. Alone."

The teenager frowned, smile fading. He opened his mouth …

"Whisper. I can hear you clearly."

He watched as my lips barely moved then repeated the maneuver.

"What is it?"

"I need to speak to you … without Sakura. Tonight." I said in a serious voice.

"Come over to my place. You're staying at a hotel, right?" he mumbled.

I nodded and looked away. I had spent the night out without reserving a room for tomorrow. At least I could camp; I had all the equipment collapsed in the bag I lifted on one shoulder. I turned to Sakura. She was a few steps behind me, removing her earrings. They were plain  
golden studs with a small emerald stone in the center.

"Let me help you." I said before gently detaching the two halved of the metal jewelry and placing it on her palm.

She looked up. Her blush was gone, or maybe I couldn't see it in the dark.

"We'll take you home, then I'll leave with Naruto, okay?"

She slanted her head quizzically. "Where to?"

"I need to talk with him privately." I explained.

"What's so important that you can't tell me, huh?" she asked in a haughty tone, eyebrows raised.

"Things girls shouldn't hear. You remember what I mentioned Hinata?"

"I do... you weren't very subtle. She fainted."

"Well, you see Naruto here want more... information."

Sakura froze in place, jaw slack. Naruto skidded to a halt with wide eyes, half amused and wary of his teammate's reaction.

"Come on, let's go-"

My words shook them from the shock. I dodged the enraged kunoichi's fist and got hold of her wrist as it passed by. Her eyes shot daggers as I twisted her and stopped her fall painfully.

"You could have broken my bones!" I protested.

"You're worse than Jirayai!" she screamed. She shook against my hold, much stronger than I had thought. I didn't have my metal wires to  
augment my strength, so I could only retain her for a little longer. I turned her arm like a door knob so she straightened her back. Naruto watched warily, unsure whether to escape or save me. She grunted something foul and wrenched herself free. She faced me with spittle flying from her lips, fists clenched and veins bulging.

"How dare you … COME BACK HERE YOU SHIT!" she screamed when I formed a metal platform at my feet and jumped on it to escape. She leapt after me but soon she was out of sight. It hurt to maintain this speed, but I gritted my teeth and continued until I could not hear her curses and shouts anymore. I slowed down when I felt safe, only to hear an earth-shaking CRACK. I shuddered at the rage-fuelled strength she possessed. Naruto would have to walk her home, but at least now she was out of the way. She wouldn't let Naruto handle what I was going to say the way I wanted to.

* * *

I met Naruto at his apartment. I was waiting for him, magnetically attached to the railings on the stairs leading to his door. The telescope allowed me to find the pink-haired demon and follow her as Naruto trailed behind. I had chuckled when she slammed her door on him.

She'd had enough of boys for one night, I thought.

* * *

Naruto fumbled for his keys grimly, nursing an aching bruise. When he saw me, he mumbled angrily and went inside, leaving the door open. I followed him, copied the keys and locked the door behind me.

Naruto flicked a switch. A naked lightbulb illuminated a small interior that primarily stank of ramen and secondly of dirty clothes.

"Do you train here?" I asked innocently. "Without opening your windows…?"

He grumbled some more as he opened a cup of instant ramen. I felt slightly sick at the overwhelming odor.

I waited as he slurped the half-heated contents of the paper cup. He had one mattress in a room with overflowing drawers. Next to it was a bathroom. A kitchen and a closed storage room full of ninja equipment and workout machines completed the square-shaped apartment.

When he finished, we sat on his mattress. He looked tired. I straightened my back and spoke.

"Naruto, I've come to a decision. I'm not going to kill Sasuke."

The blond's eyes widened.


	10. Part 3: Turmoil

**Exit Strategy** by krakonfive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

Changes in my timetable means I will be posting new chapters on Tuesdays from now on!

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**P****ART 3**

**IV- TURMOIL**

My back ached.

I had stayed up until late with Naruto. When we parted, I unrolled a sleeping bag on his roof instead of searching for a hotel open at that hour. Because of the use of my abilities, I couldn't block out the disagreeable cost of sleeping on the hard surface completely.

Soon, Team 7 walked in the cold morning air to the training ground. New metal coils were wrapped around my arms and legs. The blond next to me was eerily silent, just as I had left him last night. His feet shuffled along and he stared blankly at the ground. Sakura was behind me, red dress replaced with her functional ninja garments. She was worried by Naruto's strange behavior.

I sighed. This wasn't the proper atmosphere for an effective training session. Today, we were to use our ninjutsu techniques. I had true allies now, there was no more need to hide techniques: forming and aiming the acceleration rings was my objective. I look around nonchalantly. Sakura was agitated and was stepping closer to Naruto. The latter would sometimes lift his head as if to say something before diving back to thinking about Sasuke. I needed to act and prevent a teary, time consuming outbreak of emotional turmoil and other things Naruto had bottled up over the years.

"Sakura!" I called. Her eyes shot up with an accusing glare, blaming me for her teammate's mood. I tried my most apologetic look. "Emm … Naruto and I talked about manly stuff last night, don't worry, he's fine. Naruto! You're ready to train, right?"

Naruto didn't react until my words pushed past his uncomfortable thoughts and reached his brain. He looked up slowly and spoke in a slow, apathetic tone.

"Kenobi, that's not what -"

I cut him off.

"Hey, you can tell Sakura all about it later, okay?"

I gave him a smile which he returned half-heartedly. Sakura frowned and gave a disgusted look.

"No he won't! I don't want to know anything about what you two go up to last night!" she shouted.

I gave her a grin to show I had understood her the wrong way. That silenced her, but she stopped worrying about Naruto. The blond's steps were more natural now and even he leered at my reaction. Mission accomplished.

* * *

Yamato was already waiting for us. The wooden dome had been restored to its initial state. A few leaves had sprouted from the beams of wood and a couple of birds weaved between them.

"Are you all recovered?" our sensei asked.

We nodded in unison.

"Okay. Today, we'll train ninjutsu. Once again, the objective is for you to work together."

He was looking mostly towards me. Fortunately, I had already settled into an unflinching, emotionless state.

"Naruto, you will start by reducing your original chakra. You must use your techniques today solely with you own chakra; do not allow it to be contaminated. Sakura, Kenobi, help him by defeating his clones as he does so. Once he is ready, I'll reveal the second part of the exercise."

His students waited the second part of his instructions.

"What are you waiting for? Warm up!" he snapped, waving us away with one hand.

We sprang away and I copied the other two's exercises.

* * *

Naruto had a much better control over the demon than before. He beamed with happiness inside the circle protected by spiked pillars. Every few minutes, he'd make a few dozen clones, frown in concentration then stand up and cheer his duplicates on.

The clones' movements and attacks had become predictable for me. Every punch, kick and strike gave the impression of watching an old movie for the fifth time. To increase the difficulty, I gave myself a challenge. By only pushing darts, I would clear a perimeter around myself. I started with a meter, then two, three and started struggling at four. At five meters, I had to send off projectiles without stopping at every foot and arm entering the virtual circle. Each push had to be powerful enough to dispel a clone. To me, the release of magnetic energy felt like jolts of electricity were running up my arms from an alternating generator. The pain was propertional to the effort.

To ease the sensation, I thought of something else. Sakura stayed at the edge of the clearing I created. She would hold back a clenched fist; block with her other hand then strike, bursting a clone without fail. Naruto within the circle would wince every time a clone was defeated by her through the memories transmitted back from the clone.

"Hey Sakura."

The kunoichi's heel traced an arc and landed in an orange jumper. She twisted her shoulders to backhand the stunned clone across the face, dispelling him.

"What?" she huffed.

I gave her a grin. "You don't need a dress to look gorgeous, you know."

"Shut up, Kenobi." she said, smiling and blushing slightly despite her words. Her pink hair fanned out as she resumed her stance.

My smile persisted as I prepared another round of darts.

* * *

Yamato ordered us to stop after two hours. Naruto jumped in anticipation while Sakura breathed deeply before standing upright. I hid my hands under my cloak to hide their shaking. The former ANBU led us out of the dome. It was ten o'clock.

"The second exercise can only be done as a team. The goal is to destroy those blocks of wood." He pointed to massive cubes planted in the ground at regular intervals. "Naruto's clones will defend them. You three will attack; each one of you will take turns in destroying the objective while the other two support."

I rapidly went through different maneuvers I could execute to destroy the large volume of wood. Naruto could use his Rasengan, Sakura would splinter it with a punch. What would I do? I raised my hand.

"I'll go last." Yamato nodded and designated Naruto to start.

As we set up in a triangular position, the blond in front with Sakura by his side. I was at the rear. The kunoichi was ready to go. Naruto suddenly looked exhausted. His forehead dripped with sweat and the hyperactive twitching and jumping diminished. When he cried 'KageBunshin!', he only produced fifteen clones. He staggered after doing so, eyes flashing red before he regained control of his demon host.

Chakra exhaustion, I decided.

The duplicates formed a layered defense, three layers deep and equally split. Sakura assumed a taijutsu stance and accumulated chakra in her fist. Naruto created a final clone to help him with the Rasengan technique. My turn! I raised two darts from my pouches and set them at waist level. I created one repulsive field behind each dart then a larger attractive field centered on myself. The acceleration ring was in place. The sum of the forces exerted on the metal made it orbit my position. As they gained speed, I added two more darts at shoulder level. Feeling in control, I increased the number of darts to six.

I tried adding another set when suddenly the projectiles started drifting outwards. I pulled them in harder, countering the centrifugal force. The tingling in my fingers turned into the now familiar pulsating pain. Gritting my teeth, I added four more darts and accelerated everything harder.

I looked up. Naruto and Sakura were staring at me. I realized my pain was showing on my face so I neutered my expression into a frown.

They looked worried.

"Go on, I'm ready now!" I cried.

Naruto gave me one last look before leaping ahead.

* * *

The Naruto duo on our team landed a few meters from the first defensive line. All had kunai drawn. I removed those in the hands of the defenders, burying them in the soil. Naruto launched forward. Naruto flung another Naruto at a fierce-looking Naruto. Naruto blocked a flying kick with two raised arms … soon there was a brawl between identical orange-clad ninjas, with pink hair flying between them, confused as to who to hit. I flew closer but could not distinguish attacker from defender. A clone dispelled from a kick to the neck. One blond threw a kunai to another, who promptly lunged at his benefactor. The whole thing was a mess.

I tried calling out to the original Naruto. I waved my arms too. Sakura noticed my gesturing and disengaged, retreating to my position but staying clear from the revolving hail of metal that surrounded me. One Naruto fell to the ground, wiping bloodied lips. It was him! I acted quickly before he got up.

My projectiles were caught in a tug of war between the centrifugal force pushing them outwards and the attractive field keeping them going in a circle. Timing myself, I negated the attractive field at eye-level. The dart that orbited at that height intersected a line between me and a standing clone. It shot outwards at the same velocity it had been circling at.

A zipping sound tore through the air. The clone dispelled without ever raising its head. I released three other projectiles, one missing but the others piercing a head and a stomach. The Naruto on the ground tilted his head backwards, raised on his elbows. I waved for him to come back. He did. The other darts ended up in the remaining clones or dug the soil at their feet.

The genin got a double knock on his head as soon as he landed.

"Idiot!" I screamed. "How stupid ARE you?! You created identical clones! Then you fought with them!"

Naruto rubbed his head, confused. Sakura added another lump.

"How were we going to distinguish you from your clones?" she said.

The blond rubbed his bruises with one hand each before realizing what the problem was.

"Ah, I see! Em … sorry?"

"Take that stupid jumper off." I ordered. He frowned and slowly undid his zip before rolling the orange and black fabric into a ball, revealing a humid black top. "Come on, let's do that again."

Naruto created another clone. I glared at it. It removed its jumper too. We returned into position as I formed five new acceleration rings. My hands were numb now and the burning sensation was reaching my forearms.

This attempt was much better. Naruto formed a Rasengan and charged after dispelling his partner. Sakura struck the ground under the second defensive line's feet. The surprised clones were thrown into the air; perfect targets for my projectiles.

The remaining defenders tensed, forming a line near the wooden cube. I accelerated new darts to clear the way for Naruto's attack. As I pushed harder on the metal, I tried aligning them so that they could be released in one volley.

The side effect of grouping the mass was my body started wobbling. Each time I pulled the darts back into a circle, they reacted with equal but opposite force. Thinking quickly, I split the group of darts in two, five to each side.

I called out to Naruto. He started running. Sakura leapt ahead. I aimed … waited … and let go of the darts in front of me. The metal whirred in the air and zipped in a slightly ballistic curve at the wood. Immediately, the remaining darts yanked and threatened to topple me over. I slowed them down to regain balance.

I looked up. My darts had hit wood, and the defenders had dispersed. However, Naruto and Sakura had stopped. A curved wooden wall had appeared to defend our objective. Scanning the area, I noticed Yamato forming seals from where we had left him to watch. I swallowed a curse. He hadn't warned us that he'd intervene. Grunting, I spun up a new round of projectiles, running closer to skirt the new defenses.

Much to my dismay, three thick pillars erupted from the soil and extended, reaching for us.

* * *

When Sakura was on the offensive, things went smoother. We now expected randomly sprouting walls and wooden hand chasing us. We three dashed through the defenses, knocking clones out of the way. I was the first to attack the defensive line, but also the one who had to ward off the clones we left untouched behind. The cube was disposed of easily. Sakura leapt and crushed it with her heel as the clones next to it fled in fear.

With the job done, she grinned with pride. I used the occasion to make the girl blush with a few well-placed words. Naruto pretended not to hear.

* * *

My teammates' powers were impressive. I decided to give them a demonstration of what I could do. It was certainly NOT because I had lost feeling in my entire arms and wanted to shorten the exercise.

I gathered several darts and merged them into a football-sized sphere. Gesturing to Naruto and Sakura for them to hold back, I pushed the sphere into the air. Generating a powerful magnetic pulse, I launched it at the wooden objective. It arced in the air, deceptively slow. I guided it until it thudded onto the wood, a hundred meters away. I closed my eyes and concentrated.

Quickly, the mass of metal elongated into a conical shape, two fins emerging and winding themselves around it. Then it started rotating, digging into the wood.

My teammates alternated between staring at me and what I was doing. Once the make-shift screw starting sinking into the wooden cube, they went from being impatient to curious. A clone jumped onto the wood and started pulling on the device. Three others joined him, but as the metal disappeared they had less and less surface to grip on. After a full minute, the groaning wood and the grunting clones became silent. All waited for something to happen. Naruto opened his mouth to comment. He was disoriented at my sweating, trembling figure, arms hanging limply by my side. The question 'What are you up to?' paused on his lips. Sakura shushed him.

I opened my eyes and stood straight. I raised an arm and pointed a finger at the cube, then flicked my finger upwards.

"Pow."

A tremendous crack resounded across the clearing. Our objective crumbled into a mound of evenly cut wedges, revealing numerous thin blades arranged into a star-like shape. The metal vibrated, dislodging sliced wood further and flattening the mound.

Sakura gaped. Naruto's head flickered between the neatly chopped wood and my grinning face. I forced myself to resist the temptation of an arrogant one-liner and commented with "I took too long, I won't use it in real combat."

Naruto dispelled his clones and Yamato appeared.

"Good job, all three of you." the man said with a thin smile. "You worked to each other's strengths and discovered each other's weaknesses. _But _your tactical performance was appalling."

"No it wasn't!" Naruto protested.

"Yes it was. You only planned ahead for a single assault. No contingency plans, nothing for a retreat … Naruto, if you got separated from your support, you couldn't defend yourself without wasting the Rasengan. Sakura … you rushed through and left enemies alive behind your back. You did destroy your objective, but in a real mission, you wouldn't come back alive. Kenobi, you didn't risk attacking the enemy, but you did give them ample time to react and deal with you."

He ended his tirade. Sakura hung her head in shame. Naruto grumbled and kicked at the dust. I realized the experienced ninja was right; we had solely concentrated on the cube of wood without thinking the way we would have to, if it were a real mission. I placed a hand of Sakura's shoulder to reassure her. She looked up at me, Naruto flinched and Yamato spoke. I dropped my hand quickly.

"We're doing the exercise again. This time, we're using my wood clones. Get in position!" he ordered, hands forming seals. Three wooden cubes rose from the soil, rumbling.

"Hai!" we shouted in unison.

* * *

I walked alone in the evening sun.

My steps took me towards the smaller avenues that sprouted from downtown Konoha. Most hotels were in that area.

The street was silent other than for my footsteps and the occasional gust of wind shuffling curtains or making doors bang. I was slightly lost; none of my documents contained a detailed map of the village. A hollow laugh resonated. My _documents_. I realized that for the past few days, I hadn't consulted them once. They didn't contain what mattered. Information such as why Sakura still pined for the traitor. The image of Naruto and Sakura waving goodnight at the end of the day's training session popped in my head. I felt anger tinged with envy. Here I was, alone and lost while they had each other for company. I tried convincing myself that he was just walking her home, but … irrational feelings could not be reasoned.

The scene replayed in my mind. We'd finished training. Yamato had left to tend to other matters after ordering us to stay behind and collect the various weapons and bits of metal that had been thrown around since the morning.

I remembered being pleasantly surprised to meet Sakura as she pulled kunai out of a block of wood one by one. My heart had raced and I had thought through thousands of phrases I could use to ask what I wanted. I spat at my silly infatuation. The bitch was just a simulated construct, I thought. Electrons. Fake.

In my mind's eye, I saw myself stutter and blush as she glanced at me. I had gathered the courage to express myself clearly and ask her out for dinner. She had blushed and looked surprised. I knew right now the whole thing was an act. I kicked the ground. Her smile was a lie. She didn't want to hold my hand. She lied when she said she liked me. What she wanted to do was sneer and curse, I knew it. 'I have someone else in my heart' she'd said.

My fists were balled up in my pockets. I laughed. I laughed at myself. Here I was near tears because I'd been refused a date. How low of me. She was in love with Sasuke, and I was going to kill Sasuke. I could rip him apart and the bitch would still love him, because it was written in Sakura's file that she loved the traitor and things would stay that way since this was a simulation and these were virtual characters and if there was something I had learnt, it was that characters never, EVER changed.

I wiped my tears and reprised my route, chuckling.

It was better I forget about her and use my time to escape this -somebody was behind me.

I turned smoothly while readying two used darts from my pouches. A few seconds later, a third dart started orbiting my shoulders with increasing speed. I scanned the street, then the buildings on each side.

The ninja I spotted was on top of a tiled roof, three houses away. His face was covered by an animal mask and his midsection glowed orange as it caught the declining sunlight.

Was he an enemy ninja? The mask was … ANBU? What did they have to do with me? The questions followed each other. Had they tracked me down from the prison escape? The intruder closed the distance in two bounds, skidding to a halt a few meters from me. I leapt backwards and increased the distance to ten meters, tensing.

The ninja raised an appeasing hand and removed his mask. He wore a Konoha headband.

"I come to deliver a message." he said in an oddly cheerful manner. His lips moved to form a smile, but the rest of his face did not follow. I nodded for him to continue.

He lowered his fingerless glove.

"You are to step down from joining the search party for the Uchiha. Konoha will not allow foreigners from the Earth deal with internal affairs." He closed his eyes in faked amusement. "If you do not comply, I will be forced to eliminate you."

I grabbed hold of the metal lining my cloak with mental fingers.

"Who sent you?"

He smiled and tilted his head, refusing to answer. I returned my own cold smile as I found an outlet for my previous anger.

"Piss off."

The ninja, clearly my age, opened his eyes and returned to his natural, expressionless state. Impressive acting, I thought.

"I will transmit your refusal then."

We waited for the other to move. A gust of wind ruffled the agent's short, black hair. A door banged shut.

Both of us surged into action as the sound echoed. A blank scroll and a brush appeared in his hands. I pushed two darts in his direction.

I missed despite the distance, both darts curving away and smashing a window to my right. This isn't right, I thought. I tried again with two new darts.

The ANBU had already back flipped several meters away, his hand a blur as his brush flashed over a scroll. I released my orbiting dart. It zipped down the street; he leapt in the air to avoid it. Suddenly, a large bird appeared at his feet, paper-white and outlined in black.

Three tigers appeared from the scroll and launched themselves from the ninja's elevated position. I looked past them. My opponent was already tracing new figures. I prepared a defense: a shield composed of the metal lining my cloak. It levitated into the path of the nearest drawing and slammed into it. I was showered in ink, diving away from the claws of the other two. The beasts stared with their eyes, simple black dots. I split my shield.

The ink animals weren't very durable. I wiped my face from the foul-smelling liquid. I lowered my shield to the ground and jumped on it. Despite generating a magnetic field under the shield, it didn't move. I looked down to see thick black snakes loop around my feet. I heard frantic flapping. Six birds trailed explosive tags and were diving towards my position. Meanwhile, my assailant had unrolled a huge scroll on the bird's back.

I sequenced my actions for the few seconds I had left. Shoot the darts; three birds left, four gone. Extend the blade, cut the snakes then backflip away. Expand the shield. The air rippled from the explosion. The metal protecting me crumpled inwards, knocking me to the ground. I tumbled, my head hitting a rock. The sensation didn't come close to the blast of pain I had experienced standing up to the explosive force. I shuddered as my arms twitched, fingers opening and closing.

I shook to relieve the dizziness and touched my hair after I rolling to a stand. I felt nothing. Of course, I realized, I had lost the sense of touch in my fingers. They emerged nonetheless red with blood.

I looked up. The pale teenager formed a seal. Ink fountained out of the scroll at his feet, gathering in the air to form a massive dragon. The creature's long whiskers trailed past its head. That was probably the most powerful creature in his arsenal, I thought, considering the size.

I retaliated with my own ultimate technique. I grasped four darts and started revolving them around myself. I threw two more into the air before levitating a shield formed from my remaining metal reserves.

The black and white dragon attacked first. Its jaws opened to reveal rows of hastily drawn fangs. They widened to shoot fireballs the size of the bird circling behind it. I dodged the first few before having to spread my shield into an umbrella at the incessant assault. The force of the impacts was slowly pushing me backwards. I grunted at the effort, each hit requiring a painful push to counter.

The attack ended with a deafening roar. My shield collapsed back into my cloak.

Three vicious claws slammed into the street so close I felt the air they displaced. The creature was surprisingly agile. I created a metallic surfboard and weaved through the dragon's legs, each as thick as a tree. I turned hard to avoid the flailing tail. The ANBU agent was no more than twenty meters away as I sped past the creature. The dragon could not turn, stuck between two rows of apartment blocks and individual homes.

Without fear or anger, the agent raised his blade. I snarled and released all of my accelerated darts.

I watched as the multiple impacts rattled him. The dragon collapsed in a wave of ink, as did his bird. I braked under him and caught his fall with a sheet of metal. My first intent was to bind his movements but after inspecting his wounds, I stopped. Blood bubbled from a large hole in his chest and flowed freely from his neck. A large chunk was missing from his upper shoulder.

The agent's face turned blue and his head rolled as I lay him down on the ground. I slapped him awake. His eyes fluttered open.

"Who sent you?!" I demanded. I grabbed his wet collar and shook him. "WHO SENT YOU?!"

The teenager stared at me … and stuck his tongue out. Black marking covered it. I stared into his dark eyes as they turned still.I took several deep inspirations to calm myself. I've killed someone in self-defense, I thought, it is okay to do so. I set to searching him to end the train of thought.

I found only two items of interest in his bag. A file holder, marked 'Classified', and a small, worn book. I flipped through the book and threw it to the side. The file holder contained a large photograph of myself and a handwritten page signing a permission to kill.

My anger returned. I clenched my fist despite my pained fingers, crunching up the paper I was holding. Everything was fake. Sakura was fake. The Hokage's decision was a lie. Why had I started relying on them? I stood up, looking down at the body. The pale skin caught the evening sun, turning as red as the pool of blood that surrounded it. This time, I decided, I'd do things alone.

My eyes wandered over to his tongue. I stepped over his arm and crouched next to the head. Pull, slice.


	11. Part 4: Mission

**Exit Strategy** by krakonfive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

Start of Part 4. Thank you so much for the reviews and follows, especially Narutorox, Chrisrawr, WatchingAsYouFall and the Kazekage of Suna, who promised to continue reading ;D

Check the replies to reviews at the bottom of the chapters, they have been updated!

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**PART 4**

**I- MISSION**

The metal at my feet contracted back into my cloak.

Using my momentum, I cleared the railing and skidded to a halt. Tsunade dropped her sake and stood, startled at my entry. It was nearly midnight and her eyes were red.

"What's the meaning of this?!" she cried as I straightened up. "Shizune! Guards!"

Someone scrambled to their feet next door. I stared, unmoving, at the Hokage. Her eyes narrowed.

"What do you want?" she asked.

I smiled slightly when her hand reached under her desk. Hidden in the shadows, an ANBU agent was crouched on the balcony I had just entered through. A kunai gleamed in the moonlight.

"You really underestimate me." I told her, slowly. "Did you think I would be intimidated by your little tricks?"

She frowned in confusion. I let my mouth twist in disgust. Intentionally glancing over to the guard, I reached inside my cloak and threw something between the piles of scrolls. To her credit, the woman didn't flinch but her eyes widened as she recognized my 'gift' wrapped in a Leaf headband.

"You – You killed a Root agent?" she asked, eyes narrowed. "_How_?"

Her natural mood was returning as she overcame her surprise. I laughed at her reaction.

"Dear Hokage, you lied." I sneered. She probably wouldn't understand if I called her 'worthless virtual puppet'. I continued in a mirthless tone. "You offered hospitality and now you breach your own terms."

Shizune entered in a hurry as I pointed to the bloody tongue reddening the scroll it lay on.

"It was a Konoha ninja that attacked me and this is my proof."

The dark-haired lady's eyes flickered between me, the Hokage, the severed organ and momentarily, she frowned at the bottle of sake. Tsunade raised a hand to silence her before turning her eyes to look into mine. I returned her stare, unflinching under her clear green disks. She somehow reminded me of Sakura.

"I did not order this." she said sternly.

I raised an eyebrow, looking over to the large red Hokage's hat on the wall behind her, symbol of her supreme authority, before returning to her. She understood my objection and sat back down, hands making subtle motions towards Shizune and the now three guards on the balcony. They backed away. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding, standing straighter. After a moment, I released the tension in my body wires and let go of the darts in my pouch.

"Kenobi, you are from the Earth country, so you may not know. While I am the highest authority in Konohagakure, other parties detain power and will seek to defend the village... in other ways." She explained, eyes moving once again to the tongue. She shivered before regaining her composure. Interesting, I thought. She was a medical ninja, what scared her?

"My decisions have to be approved by the Council. The seals here were made for Root members. It is … was a disbanded branch of the ANBU. It's loyal to none other than Danzo Shimura, and it should not be in activity. This is out of my control." she finished, scowling.

I re-evaluated the situation. Did the proud Hokage just admit she was not in control of the situation?

"Rip that smile off your face, boy, or else I'll come and do it for you." Tsunade snapped. Shizune shuddered at her tone. I didn't.

"Then tell me, who signed this?"

I held out the death warrant I had found on the agent. Shizune took it, giving me a cold glare as she did so.

As the blonde examined the document, her angered expression subsided.

"This was signed by the Council personally…" she said, before frowning and looking away in thought. "Danzo must have… that filthy-"

She looked up at me. Her domineering, professional manners had returned.

"Kenobi, you will not be worried again. I will deal with this and take measures for your protection. Do not speak of this to anyone, even to your team. Am I clear?"

I nodded with a slight smile.

"Also…" she snarled, her gaze hardening, "don't _ever _come in like that again."

Her tone made me flinch. She really did look dangerous and the air became cold with killing intent. I turned to leave, noting in the corner of my eye that Shizune was hiding the tongue away from Tsunade. I then remembered the Hokage's fear of blood.

I stepped onto the balcony. Two identical guards were to the right, while the first one I had spotted, with a blank mask and long robes, was twirling his kunai in his fingers.

"Get out of my way." I growled. Sakura, Tsunade and the Root agent had left me in a bad mood. I really didn't want to deal with a mocking guard as well. I heard a low chuckle. That's it, I thought.

The railings were metallic. I made them jump upwards then swing over the edge. The masked man rose with the sudden movement but lost his footing. I caught the arm he outstretched to catch the edge of the balcony. The two guards to my right, covered in black cloth from head to toe, sprang into action. I threw my captive at them and jumped away from the building.

As expected, they didn't follow me. I formed a platform and sped over to the village wall.

* * *

I ended up in the clearing I had first explored my powers in. The branches shattered and pitted with multiple impacts identified the place clearly, as did the numerous bit of metal embedded in the surrounding trees and soil.

My body went to sleep the moment I sat against a tree trunk. It had been a stressful day, and the dry dirt between the buttress roots was inviting enough.

The calmer physical state somehow affected my mind. I was thinking clearly, not clouded by emotion. I set to reviewing the day and planning my future actions.

Most important was that there was an entire organization bent on killing me. Even Tsunade had thought it disbanded, but the Council was giving it support. I had already killed one of their members. Next time, they'd strike without warning. I shuddered at the implications. Apart from Naruto, Sakura and the Hokage, I could trust no-one. Any Konoha ninja could be given orders to execute me, maybe even Yamato or Kakashi!

A frown carried over to my sleeping face. Now that any new face could be an undercover hitman, those three were the only people I could trust. However, in only a few hours I had stopped seeing them as people. Sakura was right to turn me down, I thought as I rolled over. I had seen her as some sort of game where all I needed were the right moves to win. Naruto as well. He was trying to be friendly but in my head he was no more than the idiotic and loudmouthed individual, as depicted by my files. I thought all was well, but now that I looked into it, Naruto only kept acting that way because it was his nindo to not give up. It must have hurt him, I thought.

What good was it I couldn't consider the only allies I had as real people?

I spent the rest of the night trying to get into Danzo's shoes. What would I do if I were him? How could that plan fail? The pink-haired girl appeared regularly, as did Naruto's well hidden frowns whenever I didn't react to a prank or a joke.

* * *

I woke up early in the morning.

The birds hadn't started singing yet and the forest was still silent. My back popped and cracked as I straightened up; once again I had fallen asleep on a hard surface. I cursed my luck as I ate fruity ration bars.

The sun was just above the treeline as I reached the usual training ground. Under the protection of four pairs of orbiting darts, I set to discover the reason I couldn't aim my oldest darts anymore.

I inspected them visually first. They were dulled from multiple impacts and some still smelt of blood. It was only when I touched them carefully with my sixth sense that I noticed the abnormality. Their metal possessed its own magnetic field. The answer to my problem came naturally. If the darts were magnetized, they'd interact with the magnetic field I created to accelerate or hold them. This would explain their curving trajectory: they were following the field lines.

Coincidentally, they were the darts I had accelerated with strong pushes instead of with the accelerating ring technique. I wondered if the darts were magnetized by strong magnetic fields. I set to exploring the uses of this effect.

* * *

I felt a rapidly approaching mass of metal. Two darts left their orbits and zipped across the clearing to the intruder before I even thought of doing so.

My eyes widened when I spun to identify the target. I hastily pushed the darts aside before they hit Sakura.

The kunoichi dug her feet into the grass before rolling sideways, kunai drawn. Damn, it had to be her, I thought.

"Sorry about that!" I shouted across. I gave her a wide grin, raising my arms in appeasing fashion. She dusted herself and stood up, glaring angrily. For a moment she had been frightened for her life. Her eyes went from the metal projectiles circling me and the empty surroundings.

"Do you really need to do that?" she asked.

"Well -Yeah, I do, it's that… n-no, I meant…" I stopped myself. Why was I stuttering like that? An unpleasant comparison to Hinata attempting to speak with Naruto popped into my head. That cooled my emotions well enough. I reprised in a smoother tone.

"I need them, that is all."

She stared angrily at my calm expression. After a few seconds, she grunted and turned away, unloading her bag from her shoulder as she leapt to the other edge of the training ground.

Once she was gone, I sighed. I just couldn't give up on her.

* * *

Naruto arrived at eight o'clock. He couldn't understand why his teammates were training at opposite ends of the clearing. Neither of us wanted to humor him with a decent conversation, so he sulked and went to the middle. I chuckled silently when he created more clones than was reasonable, and fought in a way to regularly send clones near me or Sakura.

I spent my time magnetizing various masses and shapes of metal. The magnetic force I used was nothing like those physics could describe back home. For one, they were uni-polar. Somehow they avoided breaking the laws of conservation of energy by becoming _weaker_ after repulsing an opposite pole. The best part was that I could control the rate at which they discharged.

My most promising application of these properties was a sort of magnetic cannon. I placed a series of palm-sized cylinders as thick as they were long, pierced through the center by a finger-wide tube. I generated a strong magnetic field in each one and set it to collapse at a set distortion of its field.

The projectile was a dart containing a magnetic field of an opposite pole, set to never collapse. It would be attracted to the cylinders, causing it to speed up towards them. Before it started being slowed down by the attractive field behind it, the strong attraction would distort the field enough to trigger its release.

Two cylinders in a row were enough to smash a log. Four were enough to push the dart through a tree trunk. I stopped after a while because generating so many strong fields was taxing on my nerves.

* * *

Yamato sent us a clone at midday. He quickly made us come to him.

"I see you have already started. I'm sorry, but I cannot join you today. I am needed elsewhere." His eyes slowly drifted over to me before continuing. "We leave tonight, at sunset."

"Whaaaaaat-"

"Hokage's orders. Do not mention your departure to anyone." Yamato said to interrupt the blond.

We nodded in agreement. He raised two fingers to dispel himself, but paused before he did so. He gave us a final command with a grim expression.

"Stay together."

The blond was puzzled but agreed. Sakura complied, but her deathly glares in my direction visibly expressed that my company was the last she wanted. I sighed. I felt guilty for dragging those two into Danzo's schemes.

* * *

"So, what's for today?" Naruto asked cheerfully.

Once again, he sulked at our silence. The girl and I were at opposite sides of the street while he had to run between us to talk; never one to let go, the energetic teen started making suggestions as he dashed between his teammates. I cursed him silently with the colorful language invented in the asteroid mining colonies. I was already torn between coming up with a way to re-establish friendly relations with Sakura, planning ahead for the Root's next attempt at ending my life and coming up with a fighting style that would make use of the linear accelerators. Adding the blond would just increase the headache.

"Hot springs?" He dashed across. "Shopping?" He leapt back. "Ramen?"

I readied my fist. If Sakura wouldn't shut him up, I'd do it. I knew he wanted for us to become friends but sometimes he was too annoying. Luckily, I spotted Neji and Lee walking down the crowded downtown street in the opposite direction. It looked more like they were marching, but they were Gai's students after all.

Naruto spotted them and skipped towards them. He made a point of alerting all those around him of how happy he was to see them.

"Lee! Neji! What are you doing today?!" he shouted.

Lee's cheeks were rosy from having someone so happy to see him. Neji gave him a sour look that mirrored my own.

"I'm going to do one hundred laps around the village! Then I'm going to do one thousand sit-ups. Then I'm going to do ten thousand kicks! And then one million -" the green spandex-wearing ninja started. He was cut off by Neji's aggravated voice.

"We're heading to the Hokage's tower. Tenten was injured in our last mission; we're visiting her before I… leav, _without_ Lee."

"Oh! That's great! I'll come too!" Naruto ignored the venomous stare from a pair of white pupil-less eyes.

Lee was overjoyed, fist raised in youthful energy. "Yosh! We'll all pay our respects to the Hokage then visit Tenten together!"

Seeing that neither one of the team idiots would listen to him, the Hyuuga looked over to the other two Team Kakashi members. He raised an eyebrow.

"Naruto… what's with your teammates?" he asked in a smooth voice.

"Eh… those two have been like that since this morning." the blond answered. He toned down his enthusiasm. "They don't want to tell me anything and they keep glaring at each other!"

Neji's eyes looked at me, then at Sakura, then back to Naruto. Surprisingly, he repressed a grin that on his usually placid face looked outright mischievous.

"Naruto, why don't you ask Ino about it? She knows Sakura best after all." he suggested.

My eyes went wide. That bastard! He _knew _the gossip-girl would blow this out of proportion. With the blonde spreading rumors, my crush would never speak to me again! I controlled my expression and tried to find a way out of this sticky situation. Sakura, however, didn't think as far as the need to downplay the hostility between us. Her eyes widened and her limbs trembled as she launched herself at Naruto. Neji stepped aside to let her get at Naruto. His movement brought him next to me.

"DON'T… YOU… TELL… HER… ANYTHING!" the kunoichi roared as she stomped Naruto's bruised body into the street. Lee had tried to stop her and was now part of a shop wall.

Neji coughed and turned towards me, expecting my denial of a relationship. At that moment, I respected him more than anyone. He had planned his movements from the moment Naruto spoke. The sidestep towards me, the long pause before he spoke to allow Sakura to panic over the hidden meaning in his suggestion to Naruto… he was too clever for his own good. I proved this to him.

"She's too rough on Naruto." I commented. He nodded in his haughty manner. "As for anything happening between me and Sakura…"

I noticed him freeze to better listen and memorize my words.

"Well, that, I'm working on it." I grinned at his surprise. Just as he turned to leave, mischievous grin spreading again, I caught him by his shoulder. He twisted, alarmed by my own demonic expression.

I spoke in a lighthearted manner. "But if anyone gets word of this, least of all Ino or Sakura, I'll be sure to find… say… material evidence of how much you love Tenten." I finished by moving my hand off his shoulder and running it through his hair.

His eyes shot daggers at mine. "I don't - You wouldn't dare!" he growled behind clenched teeth.

"No, _you _wouldn't dare." I answered with a grin. "Now off you go, she's lonely in the hospital!"

He continued glaring at me, taking a step forward before noticing the growing number of villagers watching the clan genius lose his temper. He had a reputation to uphold and I didn't. He stepped back and stomped away.

I turned to Sakura. The pink-haired berserker was red-faced as she shook her blond teammate.

"Hey, let him go!" Her killing intent spiked as she set her eyes on me.

"It's all your fault! I'm going to-"

"Calm down. If there's someone you should be chasing, it's Neji." She still seemed willing to strangle me. "Look! He's run off to tell Ino all about our little relationship problems."

That convinced her. She shot me one last murderous glare before leaping onto the roof behind me. I dusted my hands. Everyone was taken care of; I was alone and … My humor darkened. Alone and no-one could be harmed if I got attacked by Root agents. I levitated a platform and sped away.

* * *

We regrouped at the village gates just before the sun set. Sakura occupied herself, as we waited for Yamato, by expressing her consternation at my behavior. It allowed me to reassure her that I wasn't offended by her refusal and that we could stay friends. Of course, this involved a lot of screaming, embarrassed stares and fists to my face.

By the time the team captain arrived, the three of us were happy to be next to each other again. I sported bruises similar to Naruto's, but unlike him I could block out the pain.

The wood-wielder seemed tired when he landed in front of us. There was no hint of humor left in him, just a grim, serious demeanor. He used a regular mission statement to pass the gate, but this one had a hastily signed modification written in the Hokage's handwriting. Team 7 turned silent as they headed into the dark forest.

I returned to my expressionless, alert state. This mission was very important for the other two teenagers. They were to retrieve Sasuke after a three year training period to make themselves stronger. I could read how much it meant for them to do this in Naruto's grim expression and Sakura's distant gaze. Yamato seemed worried by something else. He kept dropping seeds onto the branches as we passed them. They sprouted into wood clones that slowly merged themselves into the trees to serve as lookouts. Following his lead, I extended my senses to their maximal range.

After two hours of hazardous dashing between trees, we set camp. I unrolled the camping beds while Sakura collected wood for the fire. Yamato returned to the tree tops to keep watch.

Naruto finally spoke.

"Why did we leave early?" he whispered.

Sakura shrugged as she tended to the boiling water. "Look at Yamato; it seems we're in danger."

"Who'd attack us now? No-one knows we left the village." puzzled the blond.

I remembered Tsunade's orders to not reveal Danzo's threats to my life. Yamato's vigilance and the early departure were probably part of the Hokage's promise for increased protection. I came up with a half-truth to explain the situation.

"Naruto, Sakura… you do know that not everyone wants Sasuke to return, right?" I said, not needing to raise my voice. "Maybe Tsunade felt we were in danger from people who would sabotage the mission. That would explain the early departure, no?"

The teenagers acknowledged the argument. It saddened them however. Sakura's eyes shifted to meet mine.

"Kenobi… aren't you one of them?" she asked hesitantly. I frowned. What did she want to ask?

The kunoichi gathered her breath. "Kenobi, you said you're going to kill him."

Ah. I saw what was bothering her.

"Naruto didn't tell you?" I asked, glaring at the blond.

Naruto coughed into his soup. "Nah, I didn't … hey! It's was your fault for making her grouchy. I couldn't tell her anything!"

I hung my head and sighed.

"Sakura. Remember when I went over to Naruto's place? I told him that I've given up on killing Sasuke."

Her wide-eyed shock was all I needed to groan inwardly at the long explanation ahead.

* * *

My hand froze.

I had been consoling the tear-shaken girl for the last five minutes, but now two separate groups of metal tickled the edge of my sensory range. Their movement was consistent with ninja leaping through trees. I gave a final pat to her back before sitting up. Inadvertently, she had leaned into me as she cried, and I hadn't stopped her from doing so.

"It's okay Sakura, I promise."

She nodded, blinking back tears. I stood up and walked away.

"I'm going to see Yamato. You two have some sleep, okay?" Naruto grumbled something and led Sakura to her sleeping bag.

I rose on a platform to the team captain's branch. The former ANBU nodded without opening his eyes. He had detected the intruders too, and knew what I wanted to do. I dealt with my own problems.

"Don't wake them up. I'll handle this alone." I whispered before leaving in the direction we had come from.

* * *

They landed a few meters away from me.

Moonlight illuminated the clearing. Their black garments seemed to suck in the surrounding light, turning them into walking shadows. Both ninja sported identical animal masks.

"Night-time stroll?" I asked cheerfully.

The taller ninja spoke with a deep voice. He removed his mask to reveal a pale face framed by thin brown hair. A Konoha headband covered his brow.

"We have been sent to assist you in your mission. We have signed documentation."

"I'm sure you do." I grinned. "Walk with me? I'll take you to Yamato."

The second ninja removed his mask and followed. He had long starch-colored hair that flowed past the edges of his hood. His features made him look even younger despite half of his face being covered.

Surprisingly, they followed me without comment, falling in step to my sides. I had five hundred meters between the clearing and the camp. There was no doubt as to the intruders being Root members. I watched as they marched over the uneven forest floor, not making a sound.

"Say, guys, what was his name?"

The black-haired ninja did not break stride nor did he tense at my question. He answered without hesitation.

"Sai."

I frowned. These were probably my last words with them.

"Did you know him?" I asked calmly. The cheerful façade was not needed any longer.

This time the blond answered, voice muffled by the length of cloth running over his jaw.

"I knew his brother before he was killed. I helped him through training like a brother. You… killed the only person I had left."

I steeled my emotions. Recriminations would come later. All that mattered was now. I saw the subtle motions of the man's fingers to my right and the crease of fabric that gave away the position of a hidden weapon. In the corner of my eye, the blond's arm paused before swinging forward. There was a kunai concealed behind his palm. I waited until his next step left one foot in the air before initiating the attack.

I lunged to the left. The blond pulled his right hand back, aiming for my stomach. My left arm was caught between our bodies. My right hand darted to his. I spread my fingers over his clenched fist and pushed inwards. The kunai cut into his wrist.

The ninja's punch jabbed me on the side of my head just before we hit the ground. He landed on his back with me facing him. I rolled to the side and grabbed the fabric on his left shoulder after freeing my arm. I pulled him over me. The second agent halted the downwards strike of his knife.

The blond reached for a second weapon. I let go of his injured hand, tendons severed, and raised both arms to my chest. The ninja made a stabbing motion for my intercostals. I pushed his chest away, making his attack fall short and cut the fabric on my upper chest.

The older enemy pointed his intertwined fingers at me as his ally rolled to the side. Chakra flashed. I kicked upwards. The stream of water carved the tree behind me, passing inches from my head. The blond was getting up.

I smacked both hands into the soil, accelerated metal wires launching me a meter forwards. I bounced on my back, sticking out a leg. My motion brought it between the suijutsu-user's feet. I crossed the leg behind his heel and stamped his groin with my other foot. Unbalanced, he fell backwards. I felt metal moving to my left. With a thought, I pushed the shuriken back at their launcher.

I rolled to a stand and immediately dived to the side. The blade of water curved upwards and above my head with an electric humming noise. I released two darts from my leg pouches and took a few steps back. I pushed them into the offender. He was lying on his back, arms pointed at me as he prepared a new water attack. Four, six then eight metal projectiles pierced his skin. We were only three meters apart; the darts hadn't accelerated for long so the wounds were shallow. I closed my eyes to concentrate momentarily. I remembered the technique I had used on the wooden cubes two days ago and repeated the action.

The black-haired Root agent spluttered and fell still, organs shredded by expanding pieces of metal inside his body. I turned to my other assailant. He was wobbling on his feet, several cuts across his body. One shuriken had blinded his right eye. Despite his injuries and inoperable left hand, he was slowly making his way through the seals of a jutsu.

His valid eye reflected the moonlight as he stared back at me. My last dart severed the spinal cord at the base of his neck.

The body slumped to the ground. Another kill. Another stain of blood on my hands.

* * *

**Smozzick**: Thank you for reading so far! I'll strive to maintain the quality, and if you liked this, you'll love what's coming next XD

**Narutorox**: My no1 fan as usual. Yes, Neji can be sly but even he can be destabilized if you know his weaknesses ;)


	12. Part 4: Search

**Exit Strategy** by Crackalive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

Amazing response to chapter 11! I'm in the process of re-writing chapters 1 and 2 to better standards.

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**PART 4**

**II- SEARCH**

I felt sick.

The agent had faced death without blinking, fingers curving even as he saw his death approach. What twisted training turned men into mindless automatons? Where I came from, most people were no more than programs and could be duplicated endlessly. The individual's will was of utmost importance. There was a very fine line between a digitized person and a complex program; to cross it was to reject the humanity of all electronic spirits.

I directed my hate at Danzo, the man in the shadows. How could he send agents to their death like this?! My eyes rested on the agent's one eye as it shone in the moonlight. _His_ death was permanent.

I paused to collect my darts from the ground.

The brawl had left me no space to use any of my more advanced techniques, I realized. I fashioned a shovel from my unused reserves of metal. As I dug a grave, I thought of my plan to leave this simulation. It would involve more killing, more men ready to sacrifice their followers. I wondered whether I could bring myself to kill again and again. One of the greatest dangers of simulations was carrying over the character you played to the real world. I feared turning into the emotionless murderers the Root prided themselves of being.

Half an hour later, I stepped out of the meter deep hole. It churned my stomach to think of touching and moving the bloody bodies. I was alarmed when I saw a shadow flicker, but it turned out to be Yamato. At his feet were two wooden coffins. I glanced over to the shining patches of blood then to the grim jounin.

"Were they your first kills?" he asked.

I shook my head. The former ANBU approached me and patted my shoulder.

"It never gets easier, does it?"

"No." I answered blankly. The man stopped me before I stepped onto the platform I was forming. His face was lost in the shadows as he faced me.

"Don't keep it all to yourself. One day you'll break. Tell them about it, it's best for you."

I held his gaze before hanging my head in shame. Would Sakura see me as a cold-blooded killer? I shuddered at the prospect as I rose above the ground.

* * *

No Root agents followed us the next day. Yamato imposed a breakneck pace nonetheless. We would dash through the treetops for two hours then walk for an hour. I found myself lagging behind further and further.

None of us complained. In fact, neither Naruto nor Sakura uttered a word. While the silence suited me, it was unsettling to see the loudmouthed blond's face stay locked in a grim expression for so long. Rather than worry about him, the kunoichi was lost in her own thoughts.

"Halt!" Yamato ordered.

We landed in a small clearing out of sight from the main road. It was shrouded in shadow; the sun had sunk behind the treetops. I removed the sleeping bag rolled on top of my backpack. Despite blocking all the pain, I could still feel the burning sensation in my muscles and I felt compelled to rest.

"That won't be necessary, Kenobi." the jounin said with a slight smile. "We can take our time now."

He formed a few seals and slammed his palms into the soil. The ground rumbled as wooden pillars shot up towards the sky. They split, curved and formed right angles. When the dust settled, we were facing a two storey house made entirely of wood. The teenagers' expressions changed for the first time since the morning.

At least we wouldn't have to sleep on the ground again, I thought.

* * *

The former ANBU captain gathered us in the largest room, on the upper floor. It was bare of any furniture and illuminated by a single oil lamp. Team 7 sat in a circle around the lamp. As I crossed my legs, I suddenly felt extremely thankful for the jounin for providing a functioning shower. Naruto's mood was lighter now that his stomach was filled. Sakura's pink hair was tied into a knot above her head, still wet. I wondered if that hair color was natural.

"Our infiltration team has returned from the area designated by Kenobi." the wood-user said, looking over to me. He unrolled a map and tapped his finger on one square of the grid. "You were right. The team had detected several underground structures and high-level protection. It is highly probable that at these coordinates we will find Orochimaru."

Naruto's eyes widened, but like Sakura, his face was a mask of determination.

"The objective is to locate and… retrieve Sasuke. He will be protected by a sannin-level and an unknown number of elite ninja. We cannot face them together. In the case that Sasuke resists capture and fights alongside Orochimaru, we'll have to abandon the-"

"Sasuke would never do that!" Naruto shouted. Sakura winced. I stared at him. Was he being intentionally dumb?

"Please Naruto, consider the _possibility_!" Yamato snapped. His brows were furrowed.

The blond looked down, jaw muscles bulging. The captain continued.

"If we are to face Sasuke and Orochimaru together, we are to abandon the mission and leave. I do not want any of you to be harmed, so do not stay and fight enemies you cannot handle." He sighed at Naruto's clenched fists and took a deep breath. "The mission type is infiltration and capture."

He unrolled another map on top of the other one. The wicker flames danced and our shadows shifted on the wall. Yamato traced his finger along straight lines and pointed to the negative numbers next to them.

"This is the information gathered by the recon team. These tunnels lead to various chambers and here is their depth." He pointed to a curving line with '-10' next to it. "This is our entrance. It is close to the surface and leads to the habitation quarters. It is also far from these" -tap- "and these" -tap- "open spaces. If we attack before dawn, it would give us time to search for Sasuke without interference from whoever might be awake and active in those areas."

Sakura and I nodded.

"Why before dawn?" asked the blond.

"Sasuke would be asleep and in his quarters. It would be easier to capture him if he doesn't defend himself."

Naruto opened his mouth before clamping shut. He really does think Sasuke's waiting for us to save him, I thought. I coughed to get Yamato's attention.

"If that area is the living quarters, the identical structures on the level beneath it mean there are hundreds of rooms." I said, pointing to the small squares aligned in rows. "How do we locate Sasuke without knowing when he'll wake up or whether there are other forms of protection, like guards and secondary barriers?"

Yamato acknowledged my objection. "The recon team had two sensory type ninja. They only detected the chakra of three individuals, so other than physical traps, I doubt we would run into trouble."

He looked at each of us in turn.

"Tomorrow we'll rehearse the capture. The objective will be a wood clone I'll place underground."

* * *

On the fourth night since our departure, Yamato didn't create a house for us to sleep in. We were in a barren wasteland situated a few kilometers behind the hills enclosing the edge of the forest. The landscape was featureless other for a few barren trees and rock formations. With no vegetation to retain the day's heat, the air was cold.

My companions were worrying me. They were grim-faced, nervous and if I wasn't aware of their determination, I would have said they were fearful. Worrying lead to mistakes, and mistakes made for life-threatening situations.

I sighed and sat back down on my sleeping bed. The attack was to happen at five o'clock in the morning. We had slept at six and woken up at midnight, unable to force ourselves to rest any longer. I mean, Naruto and Sakura had woken up and I felt awkward to be the only one still in my camping bag. Yamato, of course, never slept.

Naruto was pacing around the shaking flames in the fire pit. He hadn't touched his cup of instant ramen. Sakura showed signs of nervousness in her own way. She hadn't arranged her hair after waking up and while she lay in her bed, she tore through a ribbon of red cloth by slashing parallel lines with a kunai. A perpetual frown marred her beautiful features. I decided to mend the situation.

"Hey guys, you shouldn't be worrying like that." I said.

Naruto ignored me and Sakura responded with a "Hn." before slicing through the entire ribbon with her kunai. I put on a cheerful smile.

"How about I play something… you know, to relax?"

Sakura glared at me before rolling over and turning her back to me. Naruto kicked at the dust, making a pebble skip away. I formed a guitar and held it in my lap. While tweaking the strings for the right notes, I tried to come up with a song they'd like. I instantly ruled out songs that included notes only possible with a synthesizer, as well as anything that required singing or that couldn't be reproduced with a guitar, such as most wind instruments.

I chuckled at the thought of subjecting them to the latest productions of harmonic vibrationists. They probably wouldn't appreciate me creating music by vibrating their organs through microwave pulses. No, I'd have to rely on the ageless pieces that were recognized as the best ever recorded.

Learning to play a guitar, just like mastering a martial art, was just as easy as downloading a program. The difficulty was turning the conscious knowledge into an unconscious skill. Thankfully, I had practiced a lot with various bodies.

I started out slowly, plucking the strings hard to attract their attention. Once Naruto has stopped pacing, I closed my eyes and chose a very famous guitar play, 187 years old, but unsurpassed since. I opened my eyes 8 minutes later; Naruto was sitting and staring at me, amazed. I frowned when I noted Sakura still had her back to me. I closed my eyes and chose something more energetic, with a 100bpm rate and four distinct melodies. Ignoring my stinging fingers, I closed my eyes once more.

Four minutes later, Naruto had not moved. His jaw was agape and fingers still drumming to the beat. I wiped the sweat from my forehead. My good mood left me when I still saw the back of that pink head. Maybe I should change the playstyle, I thought. I performed the next song by smacking my fingers on the guitar's body to imitate a drum. Instead of stopping at the end of the song, I transitioned to the next piece of music. In my head, there was a list of 26 songs from the most famous artists in the past two hundred years, which I extended to 60 when I added a few instruments I could emulate with taps or scratches.

For extra effect, I was tightening or loosening the strings with my sixth sense, reinforcing the vibrations with a resonating magnetic field for deeper basses and correcting myself by ending a note or extending it magnetically. I had two hours to make the girl look at me, so I did my best.

* * *

At the 36th minute, I risked a peek from under my eyelids. The blond was wavering to the rhythm, tapping his foot on the ground as he brought his legs under his chin. I opened my eyes all the way when I saw the kunoichi rest on an elbow, watching me. Darkness danced over her body as her skin glowed in the fire. Her hair was red in the low light and it framed the dark pits where her eyes were. To me, she looked like a flaming succubus. I gazed into the shadows above her cheeks, unable to determine whether she was looking back. She did not react when I did so. Did she know I was looking at her? Was she pretending to ignore me or boldly staring back? I felt my chest contract. To my surprise, two sparkling diamonds appeared in the shadows. They grew… and fell.

Why?

* * *

I ended just before Yamato returned from his patrol. Quickly collapsing the guitar back into the metal lining my cape, I spun to pack my things. The elite ninja silently went to his backpack and started loading his pouches with kunai. When I finished rolling up my sleeping bag and fastening it to my back, I observed the team.

Naruto was happy and ready to go, his usual mood returning. He had clapped and asked for more before noticing his sensei arrive. His praise brought a smile to my face, but I wanted someone else to compliment my efforts. That person had stayed silent and avoided my gaze. I noticed her wipe her eyes discreetly; she had cried but I did know why. I hadn't played any sad music after all.

I cleared my emotions when we launched ourselves into a sprint to the designated spot.

* * *

An hour later, we had arrived at the foot of a towering splinter of rock. The moon was full and illuminated the wasteland dotted with conical spires of dried mud.

A slight wind had picked up the dust, enshrouding the surroundings in a silver-colored haze. Yamato went through a set of seals we had seen him do once before. "Earth Release!" he cried as the ground sunk to form a tunnel.

One by one we jumped in and followed the ninja as he tunneled through the ground. After a few meters, he stopped.

"The base is surrounded by stone." he whispered.

"I'll get through it with a Rasengan." Naruto said, his arm outstretched and ready to strike.

"No!" I hissed.

He turned to me. "Infiltration means discretion." I reminded him.

The wood-user nodded. "Watch. Hide your chakra."

He touched the surface of the stone obstacle before pausing over a crack then pushed on it with a finger. A needle thin root emerged from his index and sunk into the crack before it started thickening. Soon, the crack expanded and was pushed aside by the growing beam of wood. When the wood retracted, a square hole had been carved through the wall. We crawled through it.

We were presented by a corridor extending into the shadows to both sides. Candles burned on little projections to each side, casting a dim and flickering glow. Yamato reached for the map of the base.

"We must continue in that direction. The path splits in two before going through the living quarters. I do not have detailed information of their layout. I trust you'll organize yourselves alone." he whispered, eyes wandering over to each of us in turn. His forehead protector gleamed in the candlelight. "Kenobi, Sakura, to the left. I'll take Naruto to the right. The paths meet up at this point on the map; wait there before we proceed to the next level."

We nodded. I stopped myself from reacting to the grouping Yamato had decided on. The man fetched something from one of his pockets. He held out his palm to reveal three seeds.

"Swallow these. I can track you with them and it will alert me if you use your chakra."

Naruto and Sakura extended their hands to take a seed. I shook my head. Yamato stared at me for a moment before smiling. "Sorry, forgot about that." I smiled back.

"Go!"

"Hai!" we answered.

* * *

We diverged without a word. Before we lost sight of each other, I heard Yamato order the blond to create two Shadow clones.

I looked over to the kunoichi. She was still avoiding my gaze and seemed nervous in my presence. As we dashed down the carved stone corridor, our shadows extended to infinity before a new one appeared behind us and shifted forward. After a few minutes, we reached the first door. We took position on each side of it, back against the wall. I reached for the handle and paused to listen. Slowly, I turned the knob and cracked the door open. Sakura leaned forward to peek inside. She shook her head and turned away without looking at me. Frowning slightly, I picked up the pace as we headed to the next room on the opposite wall.

* * *

The doors were endless in number.

We had spent over half an hour running between them. All were empty, revealing nothing more than a bare interior containing nothing more than a bed, chair and desk. I had entered twice to verify that the room was coated with a thick layer of dust; I even doubted it had ever been used. While I found it frustrating to have to stop at each room, Sakura was turning desperate. After our twentieth disappointment, she had started opening the doors carelessly. By now she was flinging them open without pause. Tears were forming at the edges of her eyes and when I tried to catch up with her, she distanced herself from me. Eventually I was opening the doors on the left while she rushed through the doors to the right.

* * *

An hour had passed.

I halted at yet another room, paused for no more than two seconds before turning the knob, stepping inside, looking over to the dusty covers on the bed and retreating in one fluid motion. My heart jumped when I stepped outside. I couldn't see Sakura. I waited a few moments for her to emerge from a room, scowling as she usually did.

I waited.

My feet sprang into action as I rushed between the doors she had left wide open. Not here, empty, nor here, empty again… crying.

I found her on her knees in the last opened door on the right side. Her shoulders trembled in silent tears as she buried her face in her gloves. Normally, I would not have hesitated to enter and comfort her… but recent events had changed our relations. She had refused a date and distanced herself from me. Then I had revealed that I was not going to kill Sasuke and she had only believed me after a long night of explanations and promises. Now she was so close to her lost love… I wondered what had pushed her to tears; the fruitless search or the realization that her idol was a murderous madman.

She shivered, curling to place her head on her knees. My stomach twisted. Sasuke was a cold bastard… and I wasn't going to treat her like he did. I stepped into the room and kneeled in front of her. I placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. She did not react. Whether it was because she was lost in her sorrow or because she chose to ignore me, I did not know. The kunoichi trembled again, hands balling to fists against her eyes. I placed my other hand on her arm… and pulled her towards me.

She did not stop me. I rested her pink hair on my shoulder and wrapped my arms around her. Sakura was warm and thin in my grasp. Her tears wet my collar and she sniffled under my chin. I congratulated myself for shifting my legs to the side as I pulled her in so that she wouldn't have to bend forward. I waited for her tears to dry, tensing in preparation for a possibly violent reaction. Water ran down my neck and was lost in the bandages. However much I wanted to stay like this, we had to resume our search.

I slid an arm to her chin and lifted her head to face mine. My eyes met hers. I stared into the dimly-illuminated green disks as they shifted ever so slightly left and right.

"Kenobi… " she whispered. Her breath was humid on my lips. They were slightly parted. A few centimeters and I would…

I stood up abruptly. She wasn't thinking clearly and I didn't want her to regret something. I held out an arm to pull her to her feet. She stared at me, half confused and half ashamed. I faced her and spoke in a serious voice.

"Sakura, I know Sasuke is important to you." She flinched at the name. "Whatever you might feel right now, you must not let it interfere with your mission. Come on."

Frustratingly, she was still crying. At the same time, she smiled and laughed dryly.

"Mission? Ha! I'm no good for missions." Her head drooped. "I'm not good for anything."

I stared at her as her voice wavered and chin trembled.

"I always need saving, I'm always staying back. I needed you to find Sasuke, I needed Naruto to protect me and I needed Tsunade to train me…" she cried as her face twisted in a self-deprecating grimace. "Three years… Three years of training and I'm still useless. I'm… I'm…"

I held her against me as she burst into tears again.

"Three years and I'm crying on the shoulder of a person I met less than three weeks ago."

That stung me. Was that all I was? I looked down at the mass of pink hair, shifting against my chest. For a moment, I considered the situation in my original, rational self. The girl had a place in my heart, but my goal was to leave the simulation and never see her again. My character was on a mission to keep an antagonist alive indefinitely while I wanted him dead. On one hand, allowing him to be captured would fix Sakura; on the other, it would place one of my targets under the protection of an entire village of trained ninja. Inevitably, I was going to hurt her through Sasuke. Her shivering shoulders in my arms snapped me out of such thoughts.

"Kenobi… " she whispered.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Why do you love me?"


	13. Part 4: Corridors

**Exit Strategy** by Crackalive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

Huge fight coming chapter 14. Sit tight, it'll be worth it!

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 4**

**III- CORRIDORS**

I felt both delighted and depressed to hear those words.

On one hand, she had revealed that she knew my feelings for her. On the other hand, it was discouraging to know that Sakura felt she could not be loved. I paused, trying to find the right phrase. Her warmth pierced my chest and went straight to my heart. To my dismay, she took my silence for a rejection and clenched her fists, twisting the fabric on my back.

I ran a hand through her hair. She leveled her head, looking at my chin, then tilted backwards, her eyes meeting mine. I could not get enough of those emerald disks; the way they seemed vulnerable, precious yet revealed strength and determination she did not realize. Before I spoke, I placed my right hand on her cheek, thumb below her eye and fingers on her neck. Slowly, I drew my thumb under her eyelids to wipe away her tears.

"Sakura… how could I not love you?"

My hands moved over to her shoulders as I stepped out of her grasp.

"How could I not love how beautiful, strong and intelligent you are?"

Her eyes were wide with incredulity and I hated her for that. Such things were evident to me.

"Sakura!" I shook her. "Don't say you're useless! Naruto, Sasuke… they're idiots! They can't see you for who you are. You were the one to push them forward; without you they'd be nothing. I believe in what you can do. Believe in yourself!"

The kunoichi had stopped shaking, looking up to me with a shocked expression. Her cheeks were rosy, fists clenched. I grinned and let my eyes wander over her body.

"I love you because you're sexy in ninja wear and your hair is pink." I added.

Her blush spread to the rest of her face, which she hid by staring intently at her feet. After a while, her hair shook. I frowned. Her breath caught before she coughed- no, she was laughing! The movements grew to a chuckle, then to repressed hiccups. Soon the kunoichi was clenching her stomach with one hand, laughter resounding off the dusty walls.

"Kenobi…" she gasped "My hair? Really?"

I grinned, not knowing what to do. Unconsciously, I scratched my hair like Naruto. "Well, it is kind of unique."

She drew a handkerchief to wipe her wet cheeks. I waited as she calmed her breaths before speaking again, trying to convey a sense of seriousness. I had the impression that her laugh hadn't been entirely sincere; she was covering other painful emotions.

"Sakura… I know you're worried about meeting Sasuke. Naruto told me. He was cold and unthankful to you…" I paused slightly at her disappearing smile. "I want to show him he was wrong to do so. I want… I want to show everyone how amazing you are. But right now, we have a mission to do. Will you help me?"

I extended my hand. She gripped it.

"Let's do this!" I said, proud of her determined expression.

"HAI!" she shouted.

I stepped back, startled. The pink-haired girl seemed surprised too. She looked away, embarrassed at her outburst. I let go of her hand and stepped towards the open door.

"Sakura, I said you should be confident in your strength, but… we're kind of trying to avoid being caught here."

We laughed together as we set out.

* * *

We continued the search at a rapid pace. I would unlock a door magnetically, she would dart her head inside before we sprinted to the next door in line. It was tiring work; the hardest part was to pause, listening, against each door as we tried to calm our breathing after running. My sound amplifier dish only helped little. Every now and then, we'd look over to each other and grin. Sometimes she would hide a blush. Most often she had a serene, dutiful expression that ignored me to concentrate on the next room.

I was happy to see her confidence return.

* * *

We spent two and a half hours clearing our half of the level. I had counted over three hundred empty chambers.

Turning a final corner, we saw Yamato and the blond waiting for us.

The teenager was pacing between the walls, frustration giving him a sour expression. Even the captain seemed worried. He hailed us as soon as we entered his sight.

"Kenobi! Sakura! Anything?"

The two of us shook our heads.

"Nothing on our side either." he said, sounding disappointed.

"You should have let me use my clones!" cried the blond.

"I already told you, Naruto," reprimanded the wood-user in a tone bordering exasperation, "Orochimaru would detect such a use of your chakra!"

"Then we'll fight the snake fu-"

Sakura was the one to interrupt him.

"Shut it! I've had enough of your whining! Listen to him, for your own sake." she snarled, her stare and throbbing fist making the teenager cower in fear. There was a moment's silence.

"It's seven o'clock in the morning." said Yamato. "The chances of finding Sasuke asleep are slim. I'm unsure whether we should continue…"

I understood his concern. Every moment we stayed here increased our chances of being detected.

"Shall we take a vote- "

"We continue searching."

We all stared at Sakura. She was deathly serious and none of her previous nervousness remained. The pink-haired ninja was a completely different person from the trembling girl I had held over an hour earlier. I wondered if she'd ever mention our little talk again or if she'd be too embarrassed by her moment of weakness.

* * *

Sakura and I were running again. The candles sped past, blurs as we searched each room in a rehearsed maneuver.

The team had split up again after following Yamato down to the next level. It was in all points identical to the one we had just left. The only difference I noted was that the air was a few degrees warmer. I wondered how deep underground we were.

We reached door number 461 or 462. I skidded to a halt against it, holding my breath. Sakura stopped silently next to me. I nodded to her and turned the knob magnetically, pushing the door open. She ducked her head past the opening before backing out. Her hair swayed left and right before she turned away and left for the next room. I locked the door behind me and followed her.

Sakura was a distraction, and a pleasant one at that, but my thoughts were slowly drifting to my own plans. What would I do when I met Sasuke? The Uchiha mattered a lot to my teammates, and I did not want to hurt them by killing him. However, the traitor had been trained by a sannin-level ninja for years and had probably obtained unfathomable power. Maybe I should try and survive the fight, I thought, before thinking of whether to kill the guy or not.

We skidded around a corner and started on the next row of rooms. The base was much larger than the map suggested. Even Yamato and Naruto were outside of my metal sensing ra-

I shouted out to Sakura. She jumped as the stone cracked and rumbled. Three massive cobras burst from the floor between us, cutting me off from the kunoichi. The serpents' wedge-shaped heads swiveled, searching for their prey. Their jaws opened to reveal three pair of fangs oozing with venom. The creatures hissed, swaying menacingly. I looked past them. The pink-haired ninja had only been surprised for a moment; for now she held her combat knife with a killing stare. She crouched, ready to spring. Noticing me, she gave a curt nod.

As if on cue, the snakes lunged at us, two towards the medic ninja and one towards me. I watched as the amber eyes focused on me, jaws widening as the fangs were pushed forward into hollow daggers.

The cobra slumped at my feet, skull crushed by three darts. Its poison still flowed, forming a pool between its inert jaws. I glanced worriedly at my partner. Her knife was stuck between the eyes of one serpent, her other arm wrestling with the other as she gripped it behind the head. I aimed carefully to avoid her arm and launched two darts at the beast. It twitched, spitting venom before falling to the ground.

Both of us were breathing heavily, shaking with the adrenalin. A slight smile crossed our lips… The stone around us exploded into a shower of jagged fragments and crumbling rock. I raised a shield to protect myself, multiple impacts denting the metal as I was pushed back. The dust blocked out the candlelight, plunging the corridor into darkness.

From the shadows emerged hoarse laughter; a human voice merged with the hisses of a snake and thick with malice. As the dust cleared, I heard a sickly wet sound. A pale body, glistening with slime, was being regurgitated from the throat of a massive viper. The nightmarish beast's head scraped against the roof, making stones rain around it as it quivered. With a humid pop, the legs emerged.

Orochimaru smiled up at me.

I forced my face to suppress any hint of fear despite my panic. Six darts started revolving around me with increasing speed. It hurt to generate a strong enough field to keep the darts close and avoid hitting the walls. My pain was forgotten though when I saw blood trickle down the kunoichi's forehead from a bruised cut.

An impossibly long tongue slithered between the man's lips, flickering to taste the air.

"Children… do you know how my pets found you?" he sneered. "The same way they hunt rats... they smelled the fear. And you two reek of it. "

He widened his nostrils for effect, predatory smile spreading on his pale, grey face. The snake master examined me from head to toe before twisting on his feet to look at Sakura. The extended tongue pushed his humid, black hair away from his eyes, reaching past his ears.

"Interesting, interesting." he muttered as he stood up, patting the head of the gigantic snake next to him. "Kabuto would need such young, healthy bodies for his experiments. I might get a favor or two out of him-"

"Get away from her!" I yelled, taking a step forward. My stomach churned as I imagined the pink-hair girl strapped to an operating table, the grey-haired, bespectacled medic standing over her while sharpening his scalpels…

Orochimaru's head swiveled to stare at me. The Konoha defector's momentary anger melted into a sickly smile.

"Saving the girl, are we? Ku ku ku… If I were you, I'd save myself first."

He twisted back to me in a bone-dislocating movement.

"Fool! Rats survive because they flee from danger. I'm the danger, so flee!" the man hissed.

My grip on the metal in my cloak tightened. The darts were making the dust swirl and rise in a mini-tornado. An enraged battle cry resounded down the corridor.

Sakura had leapt forward, one fist pulled back and the other armed with her knife. Orochimaru's head snapped backwards, jaws unhinged to allow his tongue to transform into a snake and shoot past his lips. Sakura jammed her knife between its fangs as it approached. The sannin's hands were moving, forming seals. Fearing an unavoidable ninjutsu in the narrow corridor, I released all my projectiles at once. The metal sliced through his arms and chest with a wet ripping sound soon covered by a thunderous splash. Gore and ribbons of red meat coated the walls.

I wiped my eyes and hastily scanned the area. Orochimaru stood, drenched in blood. In front of him, an equally red kunoichi had her arm extended. I feared the worst for a moment before the giant viper slumped between them, head missing. It had intercepted Sakura's punch and exploded like a water balloon.

I sighed in short-lived relief. The sannin's arms were torn from the elbow and several large craters pitted his chest. What would have been a mortal blow from my darts only seemed to_annoy_him. His tongue reverted back to its original form and retreated.

Slowly, small white snakes emerged from his wounds. They multiplied and bit each other, merging into a smooth surface of healed flesh. Sakura jumped back, grimacing in disgust. I generated two acceleration rings, ignoring the pain.

Orochimaru's sickly healing process ended. I looked down to watch his hands. Suddenly, the man's neck extended, head split in half to reveal an array of fangs. He reached me before I formed a shield; my only reaction was to raise an arm in defense. The fangs dug into my forearm. I merged the wires to form a solid layer of armor before they penetrated the skin. The head hissed, eyes staring at the ceiling. I punched it with my other hand, making the fangs grate against the metal. In the corner of my eye, Sakura had jumped onto Orochimaru's back and was hacking away at the base of the neck.

I slammed my arm into the head and pulled it back out through the fangs, breaking them. The head reared away in pain before twisting to face Sakura. Its jaws fell out before being replaced by new rows of ivory daggers. My heart jumped. The head shot back to its body.

The kunoichi wedged the knife slick with blood between the vertebrae and pulled. She cried out in rage, body drenched with ichors. With a crack, the bones separated and the ten meter long neck bounced to a standstill. I was approaching on a platform, several darts levitating in front of me.

My heart sunk when the headless body's arms shot up and gripped the kunoichi's neck, lifting her off her feet. I launched my darts into its back, electricity shooting up from my fingers as I pushed the metal with the force of despair. Orochimaru did not flinch from the new wounds. Instead, white snakes were emerging like worms from the ragged neck wound and were forming a new head. I accelerated faster. His hands gripped tighter.

All happened at once. Sakura struck the roof with her fist. I jumped off my platform and shaped it into a spear. Several man-sized snakes pushed through the stone floor before being buried by an avalanche of rock. The cracks spread over my position and the stone crashed down.

* * *

I coughed the dust out of my lungs. It was pitch black and my head felt cold.

I closed my eyes to sense my environment. A metal shell surrounded me; all was silent. Expanding my sixth sense, I found Sakura's weapons pouch... four meters above me. How could she be- the roof had collapsed! Reviewing my last memories, I remembered that I had been standing on the ground Orochimaru's snakes had broken through; it might have been weakened. That put me… on the third floor, under Sakura. I touched the cold patch on my head. My fingers returned wet; something must have hit me on the head before I had raised the shield.

My frown deepened. How could I have lost consciousness? I was an electronic spirit receiving information through a simulation, my physical skull could be crushed and I'd still remember something. It dawned on me. The shield… the shield had completely enveloped me in a flash: the painful feedback from forming it so quickly must have overloaded the link between my electronic self and the simulation. I shuddered to think what would happen if I generated too strong a field during a fight.

I ran mental fingers over the shell's surface. I was slanted nearly vertically inside it, so I must have fallen feet first. Eventually, I found the area that met the least resistance and expanded the bubble in that direction. A few rocks tumbled and some fell, making dents. Minutes later, I met fresh air.

The corridor I was in was identical to the one above it. Several candles had fallen off their stands or were flickering in the cold air current that was carrying the dust away. Behind me was a mound of crushed rock extending to the roof. I shook the dust off my torn cloak, stepping under Sakura's position. I calmed slightly when I noticed that the roof had no cracks at that spot.

I sat against the wall and forced myself not to sneeze. Closing my eyes, I extended my touch through the rock above me. I was searching for a small disk of metal, around 5 millimeters wide and a tenth of a millimeter thick. I vibrated it.

Sakura gasped.

"Kenobi!" she hissed, sounding worried. "Where_are_you?"

"I'm okay, Sakura. I fell to the lower level. I'm standing right under you. How are you?" I asked.

"Oh Kenobi, I was so worried! I thought I'd buried you!"

I heard a sniffle; had she been crying again?

"Sakura! Cut it out. Are you safe?"

There was no answer. I repeat louder.

"Dammit. Look, I'm communicating with you with a piece of metal on your eardrum. Whisper and I'll still hear you."

"Okay." she answered in a small voice. "I'm safe. Orochimaru dispelled; it was a clone… What are you going to do now?"

I looked around. None of the familiar doors were present, only bare stone carved with repeating patterns.

"I'm going to continue searching for Sasuke."

She gasped. "Wait, I'm coming. Move away from under me!"

"No! Don't!"

"Keno-"

"Sakura. Do you know why Yamato sent you with me?"

She hesitated before answering. "I'm the team's medical ninja and you're in the best position to defend me with your long range attacks. But I-"

"Listen to me!" I snapped. "The real Orochimaru is going to come here soon. I want you to return to Yamato and inform him that we've been found. When I'll find Sasuke, I'll communicate like I am doing now. Then-"

This time she was the one to interrupt. Her voice hissed with anger. "No, you listen to me! I've had enough of being protected! FUCK being medic! You're not going alone to face Sasuke. I will be the one to face him!"

I waited until the heavy breathing in my ear slowed down. Despite myself, irritation changed my voice into a cold, menacing whisper.

"Tell me, which is more important to you? The lives of your teammates or your love for that_bastard_?"

With that, I marched away, seething. I de-magnetized the earpieces so that she wouldn't hear my cursing echo down the corridor.

* * *

I hated myself. Those words had hurt her, I knew it from the way her breath caught and the muffled sobs I heard after I magnetized the metal in her ear a few minutes later. She hadn't followed me.

My steps carried me against the cold breeze. The corridor curved slowly to the right; only the regular placement of the candles allowed me to keep track of how far I had walked.

My self-pity left way to thinking about Sasuke. What had the cold-hearted boy done to her to keep her loyal for so many years? Naruto loved her for sure. Without doubt, she felt something for him too. On too many occasions he had saved her life and acted selflessly in her favor and yet they hadn't gone on a single date. The blond wasn't really idiotic, filthy and ignorant as some thought. Nothing explained the way Sakura kept her distance with him.

The same was happening to me. Her blushes and tearful confessions in my arms revealed her heart wasn't insensible but she was obviously holding back, refraining from admitting that she felt something for me.

Sasuke.

He was the answer to the problem he had created. If he was captured, Sakura would see that he was no more than the burnt-out husk of the boy he used to be, having been consumed by revenge. If he was killed, the girl might move on. She might fall for me, Naruto or someone else. She might lock up her emotions and never recover. Whatever happened, the conflict in her heart would end and she would find peace. After all, it was her happiness I wanted, not a place by my side.

I had to find Sasuke.

* * *

The cold air originated from one of the unmarked, empty patches on Yamato's map. I listened carefully for a long time before darting past the opening and away from the light.

The chamber's size was beyond measure. It was pitch black; a darkness that enveloped me and erased the ceiling and walls. On one end was a single, flickering spot of light, like a single star in the night sky. Behind me was the candlelight from the corridor, illuminating only a few meters of stone before being devoured by the black void.

I closed my eyes and extended my other senses. The air smelled of damp earth. The only sound was my thumping heartbeat. Far away, a blade of metal arced in the air, making circles and jabs.

My heart raced. From my files, only one person in this base used a sword. Had I found…

The sword was sheathed and started bobbing away. I waited until it was put to rest next to a pile of shuriken. It didn't move again.

I tried to think of a suitable course of action. Should I attack? Should I wait and observe? Was it better that I inform Sakura that I had found him?

My eyes opened again. I had made my decision.

* * *

The soft scrape of my sandals against the smooth stone was deafening to my ears. I stopped ten meters away from the only source of light in the chamber. It was a pair of candles, one in each hollow eye of a momentous snake statue. Their list cast an eerie glow on the meditating figure under it.

The raven black hair could not be distinguished from the shadows behind him. It framed the fair skin on his face. The ninja wore a long-sleeved white shirt, revealing his torso. Thick cord tied in a bow held the blue cloth over his laps.

Either he had not detected me or he was confident enough in his abilities to not react to my approach. I feared it was the latter.

The figure was perfectly still. He breathed through his nose without a sound, bangs slightly swaying with each deep inhalation. I waited for a reaction. After three minutes, my preparation was ready.

I put all my loathing into my words, not needing to speak up in the silence.

"Enjoying your stay at Orochimaru's?"

Sasuke's eyelids parted to reveal red circles as he looked up at me. Three tomoe spun in each iris. His face was an unmoving mask. I stepped closer, slowly drawing a scroll from a pouch on the side of my backpack.

"Naruto and Sakura want you back." I said. "She cries at night and feels insecure. The blond… doesn't know how much of an unfeeling ** you've become. He feels like a failure for not doing something about friendship, bonds and the rest of his usual blather."

There was no reaction. I continued, voice disappearing without an echo into the darkness around me.

"Here is the mission statement." I unrolled the scroll with a grin. "Objective: Capture and retrieve Sasuke Uchiha." He blinked slowly. "Unlike Naruto, I'm not idiotic enough to try and make you hear reason. But… they wouldn't want me to kill you. So how about we do this." I ripped the paper and threw it aside. "I beat you to bloody pulp. If you survive, you'll get to ask forgiveness from Naruto and maybe you won't rot in prison. If you don't, there's nothing to worry about. They'll forget about you eventually. Oh and…"

I stood up. He did too, hand gliding over his sword to arm himself.

"Don't worry about your revenge on Itachi. He's next on my list."

His nose creased in anger as he formed his first facial expression. That was the reaction I wanted. The Uchiha's bare feet blurred and he melted into the shadows.

* * *

Thank you all!

I've been watching the number of hits this fic is getting and it is increasing more and more every time I add a chapter. I've reached 1000 views already thanks to you dear readers.


	14. Part 4: Speed

**Exit Strategy** by Crackalive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

This is it! I spent a lot of time doing the choreography. Tell me what you think about it!

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**PART 4**

**IV- SPEED**

Sasuke was fast.

He was a shadow in the darkness, appearing only in a shower of fierce sparks when his sword glanced off my shields. My weaponry consisted of two slabs of metal on my forearms and two darts hovering next to me, ready to catch any of his shuriken or cut his metal wires.

Only by following the movements of his sword was I able to keep up. Because of that, I had to restrain myself from turning the weapons he carried against him; it would reveal the nature of my power and remove my only advantage.

I grunted. I lifted a shielded arm to block a decapitating strike, only for the ninja to spin on his toes and slam a heel into my neck. My right arm swung under his guard, aiming for his gut. His fist flashed from the hilt of his sword to intercept my punch. Before I managed to establish a grip, he leapt backwards, melting back into the shadows.

The sword returned to its sheath. I frowned. What did he need both his arms for?

An orange ball of fire illuminated the vast chamber. I leapt above it, flames licking the edges of my cloak. My legs protested against the movement imposed by the metal wires around them.

The Uchiha followed me into the air. His summoned flames cast enough light to illuminate a blank face. I turned the remaining metal in my cloak into a platform and pushed on it to move out of the path of his sword. The tip whistled past my ear.

I felt a mass of metal approach before I landed. Sparks flew as the shuriken were deflected on my shields. In the darkness, Sasuke rushed towards me, zigzagging as he threw shuriken. I launched a multitude of darts at his predicted positions. All were dodged save for one, deflected with a flick of his sword.

Second later, he was upon me. The sword darted to my throat. I blocked the tip with my right arm. He blocked my left-handed jab with a raised knee, counterattacking with a strike to my ribs. I twisted my torso to absorb the hit, pushing against the sword as I did so. Sasuke straightened his knee and pushed against me to disengage.

I launched two darts before he regained his balance. A pair of red eyes glowed in the darkness before the projectiles were batted away. Several more followed. I felt the blade twist and bend as Sasuke whirled it around him in an impenetrable defense.

The Uchiha stepped out of a circle of darts embedded in the stone floor. He slid his bare feet into a combat stance, sword raised. In the dim light, he seemed nothing more than a pale ghost, except for the eyes. Somehow, I felt his amusement. He was playing with me… and he wanted to extend the fun.

* * *

Sasuke had been hiding his true speed.

His movements were now impossible to follow, much less anticipate. Unlike Naruto, his style was smooth, efficient and deadly.

The fight quickly broke down into a sequence of matches. Again and again, we lunged at each other, locking arms and metal before retreating.

He would attack from an unexpected angle and I would stop his sword at the last second. Our fists and legs would twist and extend in a lightning-quick game of chess. Invariably, his sharingan would see through my feints and break my locks, but I pressed on. The darts on the floor accelerated towards him without warning, to close off a space or abort an attack. I was kept on my toes by the frequent flashes of fire jutsu.

After the fourth assault, I was covered in cuts and bruises. My neck was rigid from the incalculable number of hits that had landed on it. Both my knees creaked from absorbing his punches and kicks. Breathing heavily, I inspected my forearms. Despite blood dripping from the soaked cloth that covered them, I felt nothing. The brutal treatment of blocking Sasuke's crushing strikes and being brutally accelerated by metal wires had turn them into insensitive masses of flesh. I gritted my teeth against the pain and sucked in more air.

The Uchiha basked in the flickering remains of his fireballs. He had neither tired nor visibly injured. A smug expression hid under the shifting shadows on his face. Nonchalantly, he ran a finger along the side of his blade, checking for dents and scratches.

"Is that all there is to an Uchiha?!" I shouted.

He looked up slowly. Sasuke hated those who insulted his clan. I pulled a mad grin despite my aching face.

"Were they all a bunch of losers swinging swords and spitting a bit of fire? No wonder they all died!"

Sasuke's expression went sour. Black flames slid up his neck and across his shoulders. One eye turned black. No more fun and games, I thought.

The ground exploded under his feet, showering the area in shattered stone. Electric crackles filled the chamber. Blinding white light radiated from his right palm.

A split-second magnetic pulse slammed my body to the side. Sasuke's Chidori gouged a crater at where my feet were moments ago. I sacrificed the metal on one arm to place a platform under my feet and sped away.

Claws dug into my heel. The hand let go when a dart whizzed past. I accelerated harder towards the exit. Only a few meters and I would…

The electric light flickered and disappeared. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. I immediately stopped, stilling my breath. The platform hovered vertically, becoming a shield. In the darkness, my own heart sounded like a drum in my ears. I felt his metal sword shift in an arc around me. I pinpointed his position.

Now! My feet slammed into the stone as I dodged the sword. The edge whistled through the air as a ghostly figure rushed past. I coughed up blood.

I frowned. The sword had missed… what had hit me? My eyes lowered to a bright blue blade embedded in my chest. I gasped in agony as the Chidori Spear retracted. The electric chakra had missed my heart but it had charred a tunnel through my chest.

Immediately, I felt light-headed as the blood pressure dropped from a ruptured artery. My legs gave way and I slumped to my knees, head rolling on my chest. My eyes went blurry and I felt a warm liquid trickle inside of me.

Two sandals appeared, bathed in a cold blue light. My gaze wavered upwards; black pants, blue cloth held by a purple ribbon, shirt undone and revealing pale skin marred by black markings. The Uchiha smirked, eyes glinting in flickering radiance of his Chidori.

"An interesting fight." he said.

I chuckled, blood gargling at the back of my throat. Sasuke's brow bunched slightly. Then he died.

An ear-splitting boom resonated across the chamber, followed by a strong breeze. A second later, a cloud of dust rose from the opposite end of the chamber.

The arcing electricity fluttered and disappeared. Sasuke took a step back, mouth open and eyes wide in shock. It closed in a bloody cough, splattering blood at his feet. A few drops fell on my face.

Slowly, I stood up. He fell to his knees. I looked back, spotting a red glow in the shadowsl. Twenty cylinders of metal had released all their energy into accelerating a meter long spear, heating up visibly. The projectile had already passed through his body before the sonic boom reached my ears.

I stepped forward. The teenager's emotions had been his demise; his anger allowed me to lead him near the cannon, and in his arrogance he had stopped moving to kill me.

My gaze wandered over him. His still palms were open, wet from the blood dripping from the hole in his chest. It had removed his heart and sectioned his spine. A pang of guilt rose in my chest. How would Naruto and Sakura react to his death? At my hands? After I promised them not to... It would have been preferable to follow the original plan and capture-

I jumped back, startled. Sasuke spasmed. His eyes flickered open, ferocious. Broken ribs contorted back into position. Skin expanded over the cavity, turning a pale shade of purple. As a new spine snapped and popped into position, two stubs above his shoulders grew into bony wings. Orochimaru's evil aura permeated the air.

I stared, fascinated by the Cursed Seal's power. The wings opened like twisted hands. Sasuke's monstrous transformation had given him fangs and a black star over his nose. Contrary to his usual lack of expression, he snarled in genuine fury. I used my last defense: thirty darts accelerated in rings, hidden in the darkness since the beginning of the fight. The darts left their magnetically-governed trajectory with the speed of bullets. The effect on the creature's body was devastating.

One wing was torn off, then an arm before the stream of metal projectiles ripped into his upper chest and gouged craters in the grey skin. Sasuke stumbled backwards, shrieking in agony… until his flesh began to reform. He had died_ twice_ already!

I started revolving eight darts around myself. Internal bleeding and the numbness climbing my arms were taking their toll. Was there a way out?. I briefly considered calling for Yamato. No, I thought, I'll find a solution myself before bringing the others to to harm.

I observed the healing process. The Uchiha trembled as a new arm sprouted from his shoulder. I frowned. The wing wasn't growing back, and the arm was thinner than the undamaged one. 38 seconds. It was taking longer than the previous 25 second return to life. I felt a glimmer of hope. Sasuke wasn't invulnerable, and I had a strategy to take him down.

First I needed him to be furious. More than he was now. I wanted him to see red, be blind with rage.

I launched a dart at his leg. The painful cost of accelerating it was rewarded by a splatter of blood and torn muscle. His left arm stopped growing past his elbow, skin now moving to cover his new wound.

"I never knew the Uchiha were so weak!" I shouted across, putting as much forced amusement into my words as I could. He refused to look up. I embedded a dart in his kneecap, making it expand before pulling on it as hard as I could. The bone broke through the skin and the Uchiha fell with a grunt. Hateful eyes glowed in the low light.

"Tell me, weakling, is this how you'd impress your brother?"

I launched two darts spaced by a few centimeters. Sasuke caught the first one with his palm. The second one ripped through his fingers.

"You've submitted yourself to a selfish quest for power. What has it done for you?" I watched new fingers sprout from the bloody flesh. "Your brother would be disappointed. Beaten by a guy with no chakra… Before I kill him I'll say-"

"You know nothing about him!" he hissed.

That was the reaction I wanted. I tore away the fingers he had just created.

"Oh I know everything. I know how he made you look like trash in front of Naruto. Remember your closest friend?"

Sasuke's aura darkened. His healing quickened.

"He scared you, didn't he? He made you piss your pants! He was growing more powerful by the day and Itachi was ignoring you." I chuckled. "I guess you were scared of Sakura too. That's why you rejected her and ran away."

If his eyes were murderous before, they now dripped with savage killing intent. He got up to kneel on one leg.

He answered with thinly veiled disdain. "She was weak."

"Weak you say?" I retorted, anger permeating my voice. I struggled to regain a cheerful, mocking tone. "You threw her away and hurt her because you said she was weak. Tell me Sasuke, did Itachi not reject you as well... he said_ you_ were weak?"

His right hand erupted into a blinding ball of lightning. I launched my remaining darts, the pain causing me to hiccup and taste blood. They were deflected with a lightning-quick movement of his sword. I created a platform under my feet. My objective had been achieved.

* * *

Sasuke was more than angry. He was furious. I had interrupted his meditation and insulted his clan and brother. A newcomer, not important enough to be featured on Orochimaru's bingo books, had ridiculed his chakra-sensing abilities. My attacks could not be predicted by the Sharingan.

The great Uchiha was now relying on borrowed power to take me down, and it still wasn't enough. His cool-headed assessment of the situation was clouded by hateful emotions. Instinctively, like a predator sensing a weakened prey, he gave chase when I flew away.

* * *

I grinned.

The creature had launched itself at me the moment I moved.

I aimed for the entrance to the chamber and pushed as hard as I could on the surfboard-shaped metal at my feet. My arms hung limply at my sides, nervous connection overloaded. Soon, they were pushed back by the wind.

Sasuke's feet dug into the stone as he launched himself forward. His Chidori spear sliced off my cloak before I picked up speed. His legs became a blur as he sprinted to catch up.

A pissed Uchiha was behind me. Vague details of the base's layout ahead, I concentrated on maneuvering at the highest speed possible.

I dismantled the linear cannon and pulled the metal towards me a second before I slammed the platform into the corridor wall. Several candles were blown out by a cloud of dust. Sasuke! I pulled my legs out of the stone before a Chidori slammed into my previous position. The resulting explosion sent me careening between the walls of the narrow corridor before I regained my trajectory.

I accelerated. Sasuke ran.

The wind seemed to rip my hair off. My clothes billowed and fluttered under me as I crouched on the board, slanted to follow the curving tunnel.

The Uchiha was close enough to crush the candles with his trailing wing before my own draft blew them out. The murderous aura edged me on.

I took half a second to peek at the memory of Yamato's map. The corridor I was in would end soon, intersecting a larger, perpendicular tunnel.

I took a deep breath and sequenced my actions. It was becoming hard to breathe against the wind.

Suddenly, a patch of light appeared ahead and closed in on me. With less than a second to spare, I rolled and brought the board up in front of me. It tugged at my feet, buffeted by the airstream. Sasuke's wing flared like a parachute as he clawed at the corridor walls to slow down.

I slammed into the wall first, metal platform digging into the stone. The sudden g-forces drained the blood from my head as my arms felt as if they were being ripped off.

My rotation spared me from death. Sasuke's heel grazed off my back, breaking two ribs and tearing a long bloody gash.

Once in the air again, I saw the blue-grey monster extirpate itself from the crushed rock. Its single wing was ripped, having cushioned his landing. Fire engulfed me.

The fresh pain on my face and exposed feet were overwhelmed by electric shock as I magnetically pulled myself out of the fireball. The wind picked up as I regained speed. There was a whole kilometer to go before I reached the next point of interest in the hideout.

Sasuke re-appeared, wing missing. He had cut it off, I guessed. I accelerated until the wind blasted like fire hose against my face. The traitor followed, chakra gripping the floor and tearing off chunks of rock when he pushed off. To slow Sasuke down, I was dumping darts into my wind stream and hoped they would hit. I had no magnetic power left over to accelerate them.

At the speed I was going, I could barely concentrate on anything but avoiding the walls as they passed by, nothing more than blurs.

The kilometer was crossed in less than fifteen seconds. My board gouged a curved line in the wall as I rounded a corner. The trace was paralleled by Sasuke's claws when they dug into the rock, braking to change direction. The following turns were just as close. Each time, we would exchange a glare before we sped off again.

The curse seal was placing a great strain on the Uchiha, but his bared fangs and deathly expression spoke of his determination. His red Sharingan were eager to witness a kill; they seemed to penetrate my defenses and delect on the coldness in my chest and the jolts of pain running through my arms. To him, I was nothing more than injured prey. I pushed harder.

* * *

My reserve of metal was dangerously low.

All in all, I had three cylinders left and a single strip of metal wound around my waist. Everything had been cannibalized to form darts or to repair the platform. Nothing was slowing Sasuke down. I changed strategy.

* * *

My board struck the edge of a wall, unbalancing me. I struggled to regain control as the wind threatened to slam me against the opposite side. Sasuke advanced, chakra blade extended to its maximal length. I clenched my fists against the pain as I accelerated harder and out of his reach.

I decided to risk it all around the next corner.

It was a unique tunnel which included an S-shaped curve, pronounced enough to hide one straight section from another. After crossing it, I braked in the air. Sasuke appeared two seconds after losing sight of me, claws grating on the curved walls.

Time slowed down.

Sasuke's eyes widened, smile spreading. The chase had lasted for over ten minutes, climbing the hideout to the highest level. Now was his chance. I saw his hand close slightly, then grip an expanding sword of chakra. Clawed feet pumped into the rock for a leap as his throat contracted. His fangs parted for a roar. I had the distinct impression of watching a lion close in for the kill.

My platform rippled as a magnetic push moved it aside. My feet, encased in metal, followed. Three levitating cylinders appeared behind me, perfectly aligned.

A flicker of doubt crossed Sasuke's black and red eyes. The tip of his blade sailed through the air.

I _heard _the magnetic pulse as it interacted with my earpiece. The three cylinders released all of their energy into the projectile they cradled. It was a metal spike, around 30cm long, created from the last of my reserves.

My eyes could not track it. One moment the spike was hovering at the mouth of the accelerator, the next it had sunk into Sasuke's chest.

He blasted past me and rolled on the ground to a standstill, blood marking the dusty ground. I jumped off my platform and cut it into several squares, rolling them into improvised darts. I spun four around me and retained the rest in a magnetic grip, ready to be launched.

The traitor coughed up blood as he lay on his side, blood dripping down the length of the metal protruding from his chest. From its position, center of chest and plunging downwards, I decided his heart had been penetrated and he suffered a torn diaphragm.

Sasuke grabbed the spike with a shivering hand, and slowly pulled it out. It was stupid to do so; the blood would now flow more freely.

"Give up!" I yelled. "You've lost!"

The Uchiha threw the spear away weakly. He took hold of his sword and used it as a stick to get up on one elbow. Extending my magnetic touch, I took hold of the sword and plunged it into his gut. I took care to cut into his stomach and the aorta behind it. He cried more in surprise than agony.

"Sasuke!" I said. "You have no more chakra! You'll die if you keep this up…"

As if to confirm my sayings, his hair reverted to their original black, and his skin became a pale white. Sweat broke out and he started breathing heavily. I wondered if he could heal himself without the cursed seal activated.

I stepped closer, hiding at the same time the conversion of one of the cylinders into a couple of darts. It was still hot.

Wary of the agonizing ninja, I went my plan. It had worked out in the end; he had given in to anger and kept the cursed seal activated for much longer than I thought possible. The constant drain was worsened by his frantic healing and wasteful use of Lightning techniques.  
Furthermore, he had been sprinting at Body Flicker speeds for nearly 15 minutes. Whatever chakra reserves he had left, he'd need them to save himself now.

Naruto! Sakura! I felt them at the edge of my sensing range, approaching rapidly. I had a minute left with the revenge-obsessed teenager. Grinning, I knelt next to him.

He looked up, eyes wild with rage. He was sitting up, hand over his stomach wound. Blood had stopped seeping from the hole in his chest.

"Listen to me."

He grunted in pain and anger. Sasuke de-activated his Sharingan, a sure sign of defeat and chakra exhaustion.

"Naruto and Sakura are coming. I told them you were nothing but a heartless murderer with a good kill count. They still have hope for you though, so after a few years you might be set free in Konoha."

There was no reaction to the mention of his former life.

"When that happens, I want you to stay the fuck away from them. Otherwise I'd just kill you right now."

I stared into his eyes. Slowly… he smiled. He looked down. In shame? I thought. His hair was dusty and littered with little specks of stone.

"I have broken those bonds years ago. Since they will not leave me alone, I will now remove them… permanently."

My eyes widened. I watched in horror as black flames spread rapidly over his body. His Sharingan re-activated just as the chakra enveloping his right hand was transformed into electricity.

I leapt back. He was faster.

Sasuke's Chidori charred a hole through my abdomen.

I tried blocking the pain, but I couldn't. The signals couldn't be blocked by my filter, damaged by hacking. The sensation was real, visceral; far from the pure electric pain from using my magnetic powers. I felt drained and soon I was light-headed again. My knees gave way and I slumped in front of the Uchiha, his hand sliding out, slick with blood. My blood.

If I died I wouldn't get a new body. If I died I would stay stuck in the simulation forever. To lose my life would mean years and years of replaying my memories with no sensory input of an avatar.

My eyes were closing as I felt a stinging coldness in my gut. I wondered if these were the last things I'd experience for a very long time.

Then… I felt a flicker of hope. A familiar metal disk, smaller than an eardrum and thinner than paper, was close.

Naruto had arrived.

I forced my eyes open to look up. The blond was panting but all traces of exhaustion disappeared when he noticed Sasuke, then me. Shock, fear then anger washed over his face.

My eyes widened further. A dash of pink hair landed behind him. Sakura took a hesitant step before freezing. She was transfixed by the Uchiha. The latter calmly turned to face them, content in having outwitted and killed his prey.

The kunoichi's green eyes flowed to the bloody arm, then to my slumped figure. I tried to smile but my cheeks were cold and unresponsive.

Her scream filled the corridor.


	15. Part 5: Moving On

**Exit Strategy** by Crackalive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

The aftermath of the mission. Naruto and Sakura deal with it in their own ways...

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**PART 5**

**I- MOVING ON**

Tsunade's violet Yin Seal expanded across her forehead.

I watched behind bleary eyes as her hands shifted over my abdomen, eyes closed in deep concentration. After several minutes, she lifted an arm to wipe the sweat off her brow and noticed my moving eyelids. She gave a sharp look to a person behind me. I felt a cold palm on my forehead. Immediately after, I returned to the dark depths of sleep.

* * *

As I submitted to Tsunade's healing, I tried to recall the remainder of the battle. It had been difficult to follow with my eyes closed and senses dulled.

I was lying on my back, unconscious.

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged words I couldn't make out, then Yamato bark orders from behind them. A furious exchange of jutsus followed, ground rumbling beneath me from multiple impacts, gusts of wind blowing back and forth, sometimes burning hot or accompanied with the whistling shriek of a Rasengan. Strong hands dragged me aside and started healing my bleeding wounds.

I was amazed at Sasuke's recovery after his fight with me. His injuries and loss of the Cursed Seal mode had made me believe him crippled… but in the end, they were just an act to fool me. The Uchiha was keeping up with Naruto. The only explanation was that he was drawing on another source of chakra; it could have been Orochimaru.

The dreadful chirrup of a Chidori was followed by the battle cry of a hundred clones. Sakura left my side to use an earth-shattering technique; when she returned, her breathing was heavy. Wood crackled and creaked, intercepting waves of hot air that dried my skin. Somehow, it all felt distant. Safe within the electronic landscape outside of the simulation, I didn't feel as if in danger.

It was only when I heard Sakura gasp in fear that I started worrying. Not for myself but for the others. Their deaths would be permanent, and as I imagined living in the simulation without them, a sense of dread filled me. I wouldn't bear to lose them. When the ground shook, she let out an audible sob. Had someone been injured? Who? What was happening?!

Suddenly, an evil aura washed over me. I couldn't hear Sakura or Naruto; nothing but a bestial rumble that shook the stone walls. Gathering the last of my strength, I tried to see. My eyes parted only to reveal dust swirling in a huge crater open to the sky. What remained of the stone walls was illuminated by bright red chakra. I struggled to control my unresponsive neck muscles to look around. Yamato was slumped against the remains of a carved wall… an arm missing. Amidst a span of scarred and cracked rock, the Kyuubi's chakra had materialized into a blood-colored creature sporting four tails. Looking down, my breath caught. Sakura was unmoving, face down in the dust.

My chest contracted. That image was the last I saw.

* * *

I sat upright, eyes blinking in the sunlight.

My body had finally responded to my frantic orders. The relief was cut off by the image of a pink-haired figure lying still, still vivid in my head.

I look around quickly. Elevated bed, IV feed, thick curtains dividing the room… I was back in the hospital. Thick bandages covered my body from the waist up, running across my stomach and chest. My right arm was encased in a plaster.

At the foot of my bed, Tsunade and a medic-nin were discussing an issue in hushed tones. The Hokage dismissed the man the moment I tried to get up.

I hurried to ask my most pressing question.

"What happened?"

She glared at my lack of manners but understood my concern.

"Everyone's alive. Sasuke was captured"

It took a weight off my chest to know there were no life-threatening injuries, but I urged her to continue. She frowned; hadn't I come to exact revenge on the Uchiha, nothing else? I didn't care much about matching with my story now though, all that mattered was knowing if my comrades were okay. The Hokage held her gaze for a while longer.

"I'll debrief you." She cleared her throat. "Sasuke was captured alive and is now in our custody. Yamato was injured and had to be removed from active service due to his injuries. Neither Naruto nor Sakura were injured" -I sighed in relief- "but Naruto is suffering the effects of the Kyuubi's chakra. I've issued a week's rest for them to deal with certain… events."

I didn't react to her mention of the Kyuubi; she knew that I knew. What did interest me though was the 'event' she hadn't bothered to describe. I opened my mouth to question her about it but she cut me off with a stern tone.

"As for you, you've been unconscious for six days. Your injuries were severe. Without chakra of your own, it was troublesome to heal you." she said, taking on the voice she gave orders with. "Bed rest for a week, no training for three. Also, no solid food until your next check-up in two days."

"Three weeks without training?" I gasped. "Naruto and Sakura won't wait for-"

Her eyes softened for a moment before her voice became cold in thinly veiled anger. It seemed to be directed at someone not present. I tried adjusting my pillow to look away and avoid her frightening glare.

"You've been pulled from Team 7."

My heart skipped a beat. The village leader read my expression easily. She walked over to my side, dragging a chair behind her. She sat with her legs crossed and sighed.

"It's Danzo. The mission you came for has been completed and he wants to make it look as if you've overstayed your welcome. The elders…" she stopped herself and changed subject. "You've been put under surveillance. Chuunin level or higher ninja must watch over you at all times, and you'll stay in approved residences. You've also lost your temporary ninja status, and any infraction to visitor rules will put you in jail for the night."

I raised an eyebrow. "Visitor rules?"

"Act like a tourist. Don't be found alone, don't stay out past 10, don't go where you shouldn't be… l'll get you a leaflet."

I grumbled but cheered inside. She hadn't expressedly forbidden me from doing so, just warning me not to get caught. She leaned forward abruptly, lowering her voice.

"Danzo has his eye on you. You've been made a pawn for his political maneuvers against me, so if you mess up, it'll fall on me. Got it?"

I gulped under her fierce gaze, nodding. The woman stood up briskly and walked to the door. She paused before leaving, turning to give her last piece of advice.

"Listen. Naruto, Sakura… this is a hard time for them. Be patient when dealing them or you're going to have an early visit from me. Got it?"

I nodded quickly. The door clicked.

Heh. She truly cared for the two.

* * *

Sakura visited at eleven. She spent two hours with Naruto while I had a fierce inner debate on whether to eavesdrop or not. One half of me wanted to respect their privacy and the other was just envious of their time together. The kunoichi passed my door before I had decided one way or the other.

My eyes darted to meet hers. Slowly, I exhaled.

She was all right. Her only injury was covered by a bandage around her shoulder. Sakura walked around the bed and took the seat on my right, where Tsunade had been sitting.

We stared at each other for a moment.

"You're… you're okay." I said, breaking the silence.

A slight smile appeared on her lips. It faded away just as her palm flew to my face.

I jerked away more in shock than in pain. She had slapped me… why? I looked up at her as she breathed heavily in anger with her hand over her shoulder.

"Sakura…"

Her arm returned to backhand my other cheek. I stared up at her. Her eyes deviated in embarrassment before staring back with new resolve. I took in her features in my peripheral vision, awed by how beautiful she looked with the mixture of concern and fury on her face.

"Sakura…" I muttered. Her head jerked up. "Sakura, I'm sorry. I know I worried you by fighting alone without calling you. I'm sorry if I hurt you or the others-"

"You should be!" she said, voice quivering. Her eyes were misty.

I longed to touch her and wipe away her tears before they came. She seemed far away in that chair, alone with her conflicting emotions. My abdominal muscles had been ripped and burned by the Chidori, and I had lost a lot of blood. I couldn't just get up and sit next to her. But if I…

I gave the girl my best, most reassuring grin I could manage, stretching out a hand.

"Come here, Sakura." I said, patting a spot on the bed.

She frowned, hesitated, then gave a thin smile and accepted the offer. I was sitting upright; she tucked her legs under her next to my knees. I started quickly, relying on the positive atmosphere.

"How's Naruto?"

Her expression turned grim.

"He's not talking. I tried everything but he's locking himself up… I just couldn't get to him. I don't know what's wrong with him, I mean, I know the reason… but that can't be everything…"

She looked away, lost in her thoughts.

"Sakura… " Her hands balled up into fists. She feared I would ask about Sasuke. "You didn't tell me… about yourself."

Her tension was broken down just as rapidly as it had built up. She let out an audible sigh before stopping herself awkwardly, ashamed. No, she wasn't ready to talk about the traitor, not yet.

"I'm fine! Really, just a bit tired… Emm, Tsunade said you had to be watched over by a chuunin, but you're not in our team anymore…yeah, why is that?" she asked, stumbling over her words.

I watched her, slightly smiling as she tried to hide her embarrassment. She was smart but could get worked up by the slightest of things. Eventually, she noticed my gaze and blushed, going silent.

"Sakura, have a rest. Go home, talk to your friends or something."

"But… what about the surveillance-" she started.

"I don't think that's necessary within the hospital. Besides, you need to think some things over, right?"

She looked away as she understood what I meant.

"Yeah, I… should."

She got up and walked over to her heavy handbag. I glimpsed the edge of a ceramic mask before she shouldered it.

"Sakura!" I called before she left. She paused, hand on the doorknob. "We'll talk again later, okay?"

She muttered an affirmative response and left. It didn't seem fitting to ask her about Tsunade's 'event' while the kunoichi was in her present state. Maybe I'd ask her about if she returned, calmer.

The moment the door clicked, I sunk into my covers and cursed. Things were happening too fast for her, I thought. The teenager had been confused enough by my affections, and now Naruto was depressive and she was being pushed to decide on her true feelings for Sasuke. Seeing me injured and in hospital probably wasn't helping either.

Thinking about the situation weighed down my heart. While I was attracted to her intelligence and athletic figure, it was her determination to overcome any obstacle that made me seek something more than friendship. But sometimes, when she faced me, her resolve would falter and she would push me away, as if _scared_. It seemed as if she was frightened of getting closer to me.

The only logical explanation was Sasuke.

Sakura had given up everything for him, yet in the end he had crushed her dreams and abandoned her. Having captured the Uchiha, and most likely spoken to him several times during the return trip, her emotional scars had been re-opened. I wasn't the problem. She was simply scared of having the same thing repeat itself with me.

I expelled a long breath and slid onto my back, feeling defeated. The worst part was that sometime in the future, all the story's villains would be dead and I would leave her and everyone else behind. I would realize her fears some way or another, so I would hurt her whether I wanted to or not.

No, there was a way to never break her heart again. I could just leave her alone.

* * *

The remainder of the day at the hospital was uneventful. I was given soup to eat. None of the usual activity could be heard from Naruto's room; in fact, I could have believed it unoccupied if I wasn't constantly sensing for the bedsprings' occasional movements.

Before sunset, a nurse came to change my IV feed.

I was deep in thought.

I had eight targets remaining, nine if I included Kabuto. The situation was near hopeless. I had no leads as to their whereabouts or their plans. Worse, I had been severely injured in my last encounter with a major villain of the story. To think that the others could be even more powerful worried me.

My only solution was to stick with Naruto and his ability to attract trouble. The problem was, even that option was being taken away by Danzo. I couldn't stay in the village indefinitely waiting for something to happen. Eventually the old man would find a way to kill me or make me leave.

The nurse unhooked the half-full bag of liquid and replaced it with a new one, ticking off something on her sheet.

Yes, the Root agents were everywhere. I wondered how Naruto and Sakura would react if they found out their own village was hunting me. What would they say if they found out I had already killed at least five Konoha ninja, including however many I had mortally wounded during the prison escape.

I put my grim thoughts on hold and looked through the window. The sun was just over the horizon, rays absorbed by the dust and turned red. I hadn't noticed the view the room had over the forest; the nurses usually slid the shutters shut before six-

The nurse was gone. She wasn't the same one who had visited twice already during the day. My eyes darted around the room until they spotted the sheet of paper she had been holding. It was empty.

Quickly, I extended mental fingers into my right arm and searched for the tip of the intravenous tube. I squeezed it shut. Using the same arm, I reached out for the new bag of liquid and studied it in the declining sunlight. Unlike the previous one, it contained a liquid that refracted the light differently from its surroundings. It was recently added too, since it hadn't mixed well yet. I traced my fingers over the bag's surface until I felt the tiny hole near the seam, probably left behind by a needle.

My suspicions were confirmed. I had just escaped an assassination attempt.

* * *

I decided to act as if nothing had happened. The regular nurse came and provided more soup for supper, then locked the door for the night.

However, while I lay under my covers in the darkness, I was fully alert. The assassins could return to finish their work. I created three sound amplifiers, two for each end of the corridor and one for the window.

Naruto left a few minutes after the nurse locked his door. I could feel the bedsprings straighten, relieved of their load, then the metal window-frame slide open. At least his depression hadn't affected his need to act and think on the move. I wondered if I should do the same, but decided against it. It was dark but not late. My amplifiers still filtered the sounds of crowds milling through the streets. I would have to leave without being witnessed.

Hours later, I heard two dull thuds outside my window. Concentrating on the amplifying dish stationed there, I made out the dull vibrations of a person walking up the wall. Only a ninja could do that… and the only ninja outside my window at this hour would be a Root agent.

I immediately slid out of my covers and crouched behind the bed, using it as cover. As silently as I could, I positioned a linear accelerator to face the window. I cursed myself for only preparing a single magnetic cylinder.

A cloud blocked out the moonlight, plunging the room into darkness. The outline of a gloved hand moved to the corner of the metal frame and slid it to the left. I tensed in anticipation. I only had one shot and I my injuries prevented me from fighting or escaping.

The figure hopped into the room, no more than a shadow darker than its surroundings. Slowly, I aimed the tube at the intruder's heart. The skies shifted once again, outlining the intruder in silver.

I released the loaded dart just as I recognized her. The speeding projectile was deviated enough to fly over her shoulder and into the night sky. Sakura jolted to the side then glared in my direction.

"Kenobi!" she hissed. That was the second time I nearly killed her on arrival.

I got up and tried to excuse myself. "Sorry! I didn't mean to-"

She took a step forward, lifted me by the collar and threw me with one arm onto the bed. I rolled and took up a defensive stance, arms outstretched to intercept any following hits. Her rage was legendary after all.

Instead, I noticed the tears still drying on her cheeks, her unkempt hair and the way she looked completely defeated. I slowly sat and waited, suppressing a grimace from the ache my abdomen gave me.

Sakura seemed to be having an internal struggle. Her fists clenched and relaxed periodically, shoulders sometimes quivering from suppressed emotions. After a while, she turned away and stepped towards the window. So she was leaving, I thought. Once again, she surprised me.

The kunoichi closed the window, a single tear shining in the moonlight before she turned to face me. Her voice revealed her inner turmoil.

"I must ask something from you."

She kicked off her boots and sat on the bed, facing me at arm's length. It was strange to see her hair all messed up and spreading in all directions while it caught the light, like a glowing halo.

"What is the matter?" I asked.

She hesitated for a second before speaking in an aggressive tone that failed to hide the beginning of tears.

"Kenobi, you must stop feeling the way you do for me. We can be friends, but otherwise, stay away from me."

I kept my expression neutral. She sighed.

"I know I'm sounding selfish but I don't think I'm ready to feel something like that for anyone. I mean, there's nothing wrong with you. On the contrary, it's me. It's just that I'm…"

"I understand. I'll respect your wishes."

She gaped, lost for words, then lowered her head and turned away.

"I'm sorry." she whispered before trying to stand up.

Just as she tensed her legs to move them, I reached forward and grabbed her hand. I gave a short tug to stop her. Sakura twisted back to face me, surprised.

"Kenobi…"

"Tell me why…" I said, colder than I intended to.

I narrowed my eyes, not knowing if she could see me or not. "Is it related to something that happened on the way back?"

The kunoichi froze, then squeezed her eyes shut with a shiver, as if remembering something horrible. Gently, I gripped her fingers. She took a deep breath and returned to her previous position.

"Tell me what happened. I'll listen."

Her head hung, and eyes staring at a spot on her knee, she spoke.

"After the fight, you knocked out, Naruto was bleeding all over and Yamato had used the last of his chakra to seal Sasuke. I was… the one to heal you all and drag you back to the village."

There was a short silence during which the kunoichi took a deep breath and tensed, as if in anticipation of my reaction.

"Once, when Sasuke and I were alone… he proposed a deal." The kunoichi's brows burrowed and she looked away, hiding her face from the light coming through the window. "He said that if I freed him, he'd take me with him… like I _begged_ him for when he left. I- I refused."

Mixed emotions ran through me. A sense of betrayal for knowing that she felt so strongly for someone else, yet pride in her facing Sasuke and saying no to his offer. Sakura was still, breath held.

"That's not all there is to it, right?" I asked, suppressing my thoughts.

"N-No." If possible, the girl bunched up into a smaller ball. "I didn't answer immediately. My first thought was to say yes… and for a long time I considered betraying all my friends. It took me so long to decide, and he kept repeating it over and over…" Her hands covered her quivering face and soon tears dripped through her fingers. "I- I didn't know… who I was loyal to anymore!"

She broke down, sobbing.

For the third time, I reached to bring her into my arms and let her drain her tears. On this occasion however, she slapped my hand aside. I stared at her, feeling hurt. A few second later, she threw herself onto me and cried harder.

I was on my back and she lied diagonally on my chest, her arms separating us. Her head burrowed into my shoulder, and a moist patch grew there. I stoked her head slowly, then with more confidence. Eventually, the shudders and sobs ceased. I pushed up her head and stared into her eyes.

"You said no, didn't you? Whatever your thoughts were, and however much you feel bad about them, you refused and that's all that matters."

Moisture shone bright on her cheeks. "No, no! A ninja shouldn't even have those thoughts! It's no good that I-"

"It's good enough for me." I interrupted firmly.

"It does?" She frowned. "Even if I was ready to break all ties with the village? Even if I was going to break all the bonds I have with the people I know for… Sasuke?"

I gave her a smile. "You know how I feel about you. I trust you. If you refused to leave with Sasuke, then you have nothing to be ashamed of."

Her face made an astonished expression before looking away to hide her grin. Her hands slid from her chest to cup my cheeks, and in a swift movement, she brought my lips to hers in a quick kiss.

I was shocked. This wasn't possible. If Sakura didn't love Sasuke, she wouldn't have hesitated to say no to him. Then why would she…

With a look of amused concentration, she lifted my head for a second, longer kiss. My cheeks burned pressed my mouth against hers then sucked in her lower lip. Suddenly, she jerked away and sat upright.

"I'm sorry, Kenobi, sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Have your fist kiss?" I teased. Despite the dim light, I could see her face darkening.

"I know you like me, but I didn't want to do it. I don't mean it wasn't nice, it's just that…"

My good mood was tarnished by a realization. "You love Sasuke, is that it?"

The kunoichi frowned and turned silent, looking away. However, I didn't expect her following words.

"Kenobi, I am certain that I don't have any feelings for him, not anymore. While I can't say that I didn't love Sasuke before, or that it was wrong to do so before he left…" Her eyes shifted to meet mine. "But after he broke his ties with everyone he knew, then expected _me_ to do the same, I couldn't see him as the old Sasuke anymore. He's become a different person, someone corrupted by hate and revenge; I don't recognize him anymore!"

She paused wipe moist eyes and continued, voice hardening. "That is why I said no to him. He has no place in my heart!"

I stared at her, shocked by her speech. Deep inside of me, something gave way. The character before had changed so radically from the version in the simulation's original script that whatever remaining barriers held me back from considering her and the others as people broke down. The new-found respect and consideration hurt me all the more after hearing her final declaration, voice faltering to a whisper.

"I'm sorry for… kissing you. I don't know what came over me. Don't take it badly, but I don't love you either. I don't think I can love anyone again."

My heart pounded in my chest. I hadn't planned for this; no prepared speech came to mind, nor did the appropriate words appear. I was going to lose her forever…

She took my silence for anger and leaner closer, wringer her hands.

"Please understand Kenobi, it's difficult for me too… I don't want to hurt you. I just haven't made my mind up yet about you, especially after Sasuke turned out." Her eyes widened. "No-no I didn't…"

"I understand what you meant," I said, hiding my own emotions behind a grin. "You don't want something like Sasuke to happen to you again. I'm not offended."

She sighed in relief. I continued in a worried tone.

"What puzzles me though is that you'd shut away your feelings for anyone else. The moment I saw you, I knew you were one to power your way pat anything that bothered you. Why give up now?"

It was obvious that she was lost for words. The pink-haired girl shifted uncomfortably on the bed. Without warning, her hands clenched into fists and her eyes, shadows within a pool of silver, bored into me.

"Kenobi, promise me you'll never become like him! Give me your word! Tell me that you'll never desert the village or abandon me. Promise me that and maybe… maybe there'll be a spot in my heart for you."

My breath caught. Her request was the most explicit declaration of reciprocate feelings so far. My hands trembled. From joy or fear of spoiling the moment, I did not know.

"Of course, Sakura. I promise to always be by your side."

She gave a heartfelt smile. Her body was a palette of silver and black, and she shivered slightly as the tension left her.

"Thank you." she muttered. Her fingers wrestled each other. "Can I ask you one last thing?"

"Sure," I said neutrally. Her head lowered until strands of hair covered her face.

"Can you go and speak to Naruto, tomorrow? I need you to talk him out of his bad mood. This" –she pointed hastily at the bandages extending under her shoulder sleeve- "was caused by one of the Kyuubi's tails. He feels responsible for injuring me and doesn't believe me when I say it's all right. If you could-"

"Sakura!"

"Yes?" she answered meekly.

"I said I'll do it. Don't worry about that." She nodded. "I gave you your promise. Now give me mine."

The kunoichi looked up, apprehensive.

"I want you to… never doubt yourself again. You're strong and you care about others. You end up making the right decisions, so don't break down like that again. Okay?"

Sakura nodded vigorously, still shying away in embarrassment. The room regained the silence it had lost when the kunoichi arrived. I heard the faint humming on the ventilation fans. Closer to me, I heard regular, forced breaths. It sounded as if she was using a relaxation technique. Involuntarily, I chuckled.

Her head snapped up, glaring. "What's so funny?"

"No nothing at all!" I answered, unable to hide my widening grin. "I was just thinking about what Ino would say about us being together."

Her eyes widened. "We're _not_ together!"

"But you promised a date and all…"

"I certainly did not!" she hissed, stressing each word. A familiar rage overcame her.

"But we were like, making out on my bed and then-"

Stars filled my eyes. Her fist had pounded me into the mattress, and she struck a pose she usually took when Naruto was being obnoxious about his ramen. I shook my head to clear it, ognoring the rising bump on my forehead.

"Don't you utter a word to that pig!"

"But she'd love to know how you came at the dead of night looking all flustered-"

The second punch knocked me out cold. It took several painful moments to think straight again.

"Don't you _dare_ blackmail me! Ever!" Her eyes smoldered like burning coals. "You hear me?!"

I looked up at her slim figure, quivering with rage and a warm feeling spread in my chest.

"What is it?" she spat.

"You're back to normal."

She stared at me for several seconds, then her expression softened.

"Yeah, I am." She lowered her fist and sighed. "I should get going."

I straightened up and shuffled to sit next to her, our legs hanging over the edge of the bed.

"IS there nothing else you want to tell me?"

"No," she answered wearily. "I'm done. Thanks again, couldn't have done it without you."

She turned to look away. With the window to her back, her face was enshrouded by darkness. The kunoichi continued on a slightly sad tone.

"You understand me. I don't think there's anyone who I can talk to about stuff like that."

"How about Ino?" I suggested.

She titled her head to the side. "She's a good friend and we've known each other for years, but… she doesn't take things seriously. She'd probably just tell me to forget my problems, and if it's about Sasuke, she'd make jokes or try and win an argument on how she's better suited for him. This time, it was serious and I had to see someone else."

"I'm flattered," I said.

"Don't let it get to your head."

"It's big enough already," I joked.

The relieved teenager stood up. I got up after her. We stood facing each other, not knowing how to part.

"Goodbye, Keno-"

"Wait!" I said. "There's one last thing I wanted to do."

She frowned, puzzled as to what it could be. Her breath caught when I stepped forward and pulled her closer by the waist. I leaned slightly forward until she was flattened against me.

"Sakura."

"Yes?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Let me show you how to _really_ kiss."


	16. Part 5: Past mistakes

**Exit Strategy** by Crackalive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

Capturing Sasuke hasn't only affected Naruto and Sakura. Kenobi seems to have stirred another plot. Rash decisions make for unintended consequences!

AN: Yes, a shorter chapter. I hope it is worthy of the ever-increasing views and reviews!

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 5:**

**II- PAST MISTAKES**

I woke up the next morning, at sunrise.

Rays of light traced golden lines across the room, illuminating particles of dust in the air as they moved in lazy swirls. I lay still, eyes open and staring at the ceiling. My mind kept looping last night's memories. Her scent, our bodies pressed together, our hearts beating… I hadn't closed my eyes. I wanted to remember every detail, every sensation.

A bird chirruped.

I sighed and got up. Standing next to the bed, I inspected the state of my injuries. My right arm was plastered from wrist to ellbow. A small patch of blood marred the bandages around my abdomen. Breathing in, I located the scarred tissue between my heart and lung by touch. I wasn't in too bad a shape.

Less than a minute later, I was ready to leave. Tsunade would return at midday. There was no way I would linger in the hospital waiting for another Root agent. With those thoughts, I stepped through the window and glided over the empty streets on a metal platform.

* * *

My first destination was Naruto's apartment. More specifically; its roof. I had stashed a bag with some clothes, metal weights and half my mission cash back when I had slept there.

After changing out of the stale hospital garments, I scanned the horizon. My sixth sense detected thousands, millions of individual pieces of metal. Within my sensory range, a dozen matched the description of Naruto's earpiece. Sakura's request to speak to her teammate rang in my head. I resolved to find a way to track the two more effectively. I pondered for a moment before giving up. There was no time to waste.

My used clothes were sealed in an air-tight bag to mask the smell from any trackers. Having covered my traces, I got up and hopped over the roof edge, sliding down the tiles and onto the terrace. I walked around until I found the door to Naruto's apartment. It was locked.

Looking to the left, I spotted the ventilation duct and walked over to it. With my finger, I swiped the inner surface. It emerged coated in dust. The only explanation was that Naruto hadn't been home for several days, maybe since we left to retrieve Sasuke. A frown creased my brow. Where could he be?

Behind me, the sun crawled higher. Soon, a nurse would check on my room and raise the alarm. Danzo would then have free reign to impose his own guards on me… unless I found my own, and soon.

* * *

Main street. Sweat beaded on my forehead. It was nine o'clock and an hour past the time a nurse usually raised the shutters in my room. I glanced over my shoulder nervously, expecting Root ninja to swoop in at any moment.

Walking attracted less attention than flying, but it was excruciatingly slow. I was heading towards the Hokage's office. Sakura could act as guard, but she would return me to the hospital unless I told her about the assassination attempts… and the dead ninja. Tsunade was my last resort.

The red Hokage tower appeared after turning a corner. Villagers milled along the main street leading towards the building. On both sides, shops raised their stores and enticing smells of cooking attracted customers. Unable to bear the grumbles of my stomach, I stood in line for tofu.

None of the hungry customers around me looked like anyone I had met, in fact, none looked like ninja at all. All civilians. I sighed. I really was going to have to ask a favor from the irritable Hokage.

Instants after those thoughts crossed my head, my spirits rose. A blonde girl had just joined the line, grumbling impatiently. She tapped her sandaled foot on the ground and kept pulling strands of hair from her long ponytail draped over her shoulder. Ino Yamanaka was a curious case. I wondered why she bared her stomach and elbows, and wore such a short skirt; she might have wanted to be attractive, but as far as I knew, she hadn't accepted a date for years. To me, that sounded like an invitation.

I waved at her. She looked up, recognizing me. I gestured for her to join me and skip a dozen queuers.

"Hi Kenobi!" she exclaimed, skipping over. "Thanks a bunch, I'm in such a hurry…"

"Mhm. Good morning to you too, Ino. Needed somewhere?"

"Today's the big spring sale. Everything at a discount! I've been saving up for so long!" Her eyes sparkled.

"Sounds interesting. Is there anything you want to buy?"

I stood back and let her describe the various shoes, scarves, foreign silks and leather handbags on her wishlist. Her brain worked overtime to describe all the items she had spotted and noted down for purchase at reduced prices. She only noticed my smile when she got bogged down trying to explain how a bias cut was superior to a grain cut.

"You're not even listening! Gargh!" She threw her hand up into the air. "And here I thought a boy would be interested in-"

"Oh but I am." She raised her eyebrows, disbelieving. "In fact, I'm going shopping with you."

She crossed her arms, suspicious. "Why?"

I sighed audibly and pulled a scroll from my sleeve and unrolled it in front of her. "Hokage's new orders." I explained. "I have to be guarded by a chuunin or higher ninja at all times."

The kunoichi scanned it rapidly before opening her mouth when she realized I was alone.

"But you-"

I turned pleading eyes to her, hand clasped. "It was supposed to be Sakura. Please don't send me back to Sakura, please, please!"

Suddenly, she smirked. "It's going to cost you to use me like that." the blonde said slowly.

"I'll do anything!" I begged.

"I heard Billboard Brow can be frightening." she said, slow and menacing. "I don't know how many concussions and bruises she's given Naruto already… for the slightest of things too."

I whimpered for effect. Inwardly I cheered. By exploiting my supposed fear of Sakura, she was turning me in the perfect little slave for the day. Simultaneously, she was playing into my hands and protecting me from Danzo. Whatever she made me do, the deal would be a bargain.

The kunoichi glared at me, making me cower a step backwards. He grin widened.

"Well then, I'll be putting you to good use. First off, you're going to carry my bags and protect them from other shoppers. And you deal with anyone who tries to snatch something I want. Oh and if there's a flash sale, you make a spot for me…"

Her demands lengthened as we approached the frying bean curds. The deal became less and less of a bargain. In fact, I preferred to face a dozen Root agents rather than listen to another of her slave-driving demands.

"So let's get started, shall we?" she said, voice bubbly with excitement.

I groaned. She grinned.

"I'll pay for breakfast then." I said, sighing.

* * *

The next four hours were hectic. Every female in Konoha, from little girls to grandmothers had descended on the market stalls and clothing stores like a flight of vultures, picking and fighting over the tastiest morsels and leaving nothing behind but the wooden bones of empty shelves.

Ino used me alternatively as a battering ram to get through a crowd or as a shield to defend herself from competition. The civilians were as aggressive as the off-duty ninja, and by midday my sides were blue from pinches, elbow jabs and forceful shoves.

It wasn't a battlefield I was prepared for.

I occupied myself by planning how I would spend the next three weeks. The Yamanaka first enjoyed bossing me around, but after a few hard looks, she started flirting. It was pretty obvious in the way she constantly rearranged her hair, brushed against me while we walked or kept asking me how she looked in various dresses. After an hour without a positive response, she gave up and returned to her natural behavior.

She wasn't too bad. She was cheerful, confident and had an attractive figure. By the number of times she mentioned Choji and Shikamaru, they were important to her. She had a soft side that cared about for her friends. Despite those qualities, I felt her lacking something. The girl wasn't as sharp as Sakura, and it was sometimes too easy to steer her away from questions about myself. Her life seemed to revolve around looking pretty and helping her teammates. She didn't have the have that drive to become stronger I had seen in Sakura's eyes, that fiery determination that drew me in.

"Are you even listening?!"

Startled, I looked over to the ninja wearing her sixth dress since the morning. I grumbled the answer I had formulated a few minutes ago. "I'm certain Choji and Shikamaru would love your cooking. No, it doesn't matter what you cook and yes, if they complain, you can bash their heads together."

"Your head needs a bashing!" she said, glaring.

I sighed in exasperation. How much longer was this going to take? I wanted to go to the hot springs. That way I'd relax in hot water _and_ separate myself from the annoying blonde for as long as I could. No, before that, I wanted to drop all the bags I was carrying and run over to the restaurant a few meters away. Opposite was a crowded shoe shop. Ino would drag me there without doubt.

I tore my eyes away from the mouthwatering dishes painted on the menu and turned to face the blond teenager. She tapped her foot with an angry stare. I looked over her shoulder. She twisted to look behind her.

It was Sakura. And she was furious.

"KENOBI!"

I shuddered. The kunoichi stomped past a few fearful shoppers and faced me with a thunderous expression.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

I smiled weakly. "I-" Her fist slammed into my stomach, bending me over.

"Tsunade's been chewing me out since morning! Now get your ass off the floor and let's go." she snarled. She extended a hand to drag me away… and shrieked, eyes wide.

I stared at her confused. The pink-haired kunoichi scrambled to my side, brow furrowed with worry. Without preamble, she pulled my shirt over my stomach.

Ino sucked in air.

I looked down. Blood had soaked through the bandages to form a hand-sized patch of red. Sakura's glowing hand immediately started inspecting the damage, and I noticed four spots of blood on her knuckles. It must have gone through the shirt too, I thought.

"Idiot." she whispered.

Ino shut her jaw before speaking with an anxious voice. "Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have made you lift all those bags."

Sakura's eyes darted to the shopping bags lined up behind her but said nothing, hand gliding over my abdomen.

"But Ino… the conversation was turning interesting! I was going to tell you about Sakura!"

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes! Last night" -Sakura's hands froze- "she showed me her skills."

"Yes, she's pretty good at it." Ino agreed, nodding her head.

"She must be really experienced. How many times has she…?"

Ino smirked. "I taught her everything. But no, not very often. She reserves herself for special occasions."

I looked down slowly. Whether I had a neutral expression or the twisted grin of a madman, I did not know. The kunoichi's hands were trembling. She did _not_ want me to tell her best friend about this.

"So tell me Sakura, was last night a special occasion?"

Silence. Ino joined in. "Don't be shy! It's okay to practice from time to time."

I took up an air of amused surprise. "Sakura! You were only practicing? But… you were really _into it_."

The healing hand clenched into a fist of fury. A vein throbbed on the extended forearm. Every little shudder spelt doom for me, but teasing her like this was exhilarating.

Suddenly, killing intent washed over me. I heard her teeth grind. A reptilian hiss escaped her lips.

"I. Did. NOT. _PRACTICE_. KIS-"

"Cooking?" I interrupted.

"Wha-Huh?" Sakura's anger drained and was replaced by confusion. I smiled apologetically.

"Ino and I were talking about cooking and I mentioned you. You bake the most delicious cupcakes, don't you?"

"Th-that's right… Yes, Ino. Cupcakes. And I'mgoingtokillyouKenobi."

My smile faltered. She adopted a sickly sweet voice that contrasted with the murderous sparks in her eyes.

"Well then, let's get you back to the hospital. Tsunade is waiting for you. See ya later, Ino!"

I grasped the Yamanaka's hand. "Can't you wait a bit Sakura? I was going to have lunch with Ino… and there's" -I winced when the kunoichi popped her joints- "still some time left until my appointment."

The pink-haired demon's fingers cracked like gunshots. Villagers shuffled away from her vicinity.

"Why yes, Kenobi. You and I are going to make a little detour though. I wanted the two of us to visit a little secluded place… where I can show you some more of my cupcakes. We don't want to be late, right?"

My grip tightened on the blonde's hand. How could cupcakes have such sinister connotations in her mouth?

"Come on, Kenobi." Her claws gripped my wrist and crushed it like a garbage compactor. "Tsunade might have some extra work to do."

* * *

I rubbed the side of my jaw. The two-week-old injury was nothing more now than a little scar, but I had gotten into the habit of touching it whenever I thought of Sakura. I continued to survey the sky.

The spring sun re-emerged from behind a fluffy white cloud. Altocumulus castellanus. Despite the warm morning, they forebode heavy rain or even a thunderstorm later in the day. I rolled onto my flank and looked up at the ninja guarding me for the past week. Tsunade forbade me from training and the visitor rules restricted my activities. Staying with me would be long and boring… which was exactly what this guard wanted.

"So that's what she told you?" I asked.

"Yeah. Sakura is catching up with the work Tsunade gave her, so she won't be free for another week. He shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint you."

I dismissed the news with a grunt. Walking her home from the hospital would have to suffice, again.

"Nah, it's fine. Any news from Naruto?"

The ninja spat out the wheat stalk he was chewing. "Nothing. Gone with Kakashi, they wouldn't tell me anything else."

Sighing heavily, I sat up and pulled the shoji board out of his bag. Ever since I'd beaten him on our first match, he'd accepted to do anything for a chance to beat me. Like collect information on my teammates.

Shikamaru Nara opened his flak jacket and helped me place the pieces on the board.

"If I win, you owe me another favor." I declared, then moved my first piece.

"How troublesome."

* * *

My foot sunk into the puddle and extracted itself with a wet squelch. I didn't care.

Under the rain, I had hurried to the hospital only to learn that Sakura had left early. I was now drenched and looking forward to another drab night alone. To top it off, I had lost to Shikamaru.

The dark-haired teenager looked at me with a bored expression. He was hidden under an umbrella, feet dry as he walked on the puddle's surface using chakra.

"It's no use waiting any longer, Kenobi." he drawled.

"Come on, she's bound to pass by here! Eventually, I mean."

I shielded my eyes from a strong burst of rain that finished plastering my hair to my head. It was getting quite long now.

"No. She could have stopped over at Ino's or something. Girls are troublesome like that."

My mouth opened to protest. "I won the match. And I say let's go."

I hung my head and followed the ninja.

* * *

After ten minutes of walking, my feet were caked with mud. Sandals were the worst footwear for this weather.

I looked over to the Nara. I was a few centimeters taller and two years older, but his demeanor and the thought he put into his actions gave him an air of maturity I had given up on trying to achieve. He was smart; intelligent in a way my knowledge database and calculation power could not rival. A true genius. While I planned for every situation possible whenever I could, he simply thought of the solutions on the spot.

The rain doubled in intensity, becoming a thunderous crash of water.

Being with him was agreeable. Whenever I could coax him out of his laziness, usually over a game of shoji, Shikamaru made for an interesting conversation. We would talk about ninjutsu, battle formations, girls (how troublesome), shoji moves, child soldiers or the possibility of medicine without chakra. That is, until the match ended. The conversation would peter out and he'd return to sleeping, gazing at the clouds or reading a book.

"Who's there?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and searched for who Shikamaru had called out to. Thick raindrops hammered into the muddy street, lowering the visibility. Slowly, I made out an immobile figure.

The shadow-jutsu user held up three fingers and dashed to a rooftop. _Third maneuver, two man cell_. I moved into position.

Second later, his voice rang in my ear. "Captured. Approach him."

"Affirmative."

Using the metal hidden in my cloak, I formed a shield and stepped closer. Upon closer inspection, I found the target to be a young woman, around twenty years old. Her shoulder-length hair was soaked and her clothes hugged her body. I quickly extended metal wires and wrapped them around her wrists and ankles.

"Shika. She's immobilized."

The shadows at the woman's feet became lighter and reverted to their natural form. I heard Shikamaru land behind me with a wet squelch moment later. I de-magnetized the earpieces. The rain was lightening; we could hear each other now.

"There's something strange." I explained. "She's not resisting at all… look at her eyes."

The Nara took a few seconds to confirm that she wasn't blinking and her pupils were dilated. He sighed.

"How troublesome. Ocular genjutsu. Whoever did this is too powerful for us to deal with." He sheathed his tanto, taking on the voice of a team leader. "You carry her. We'll have to report this and organize a search party for one or several infiltrators."

I nodded. That would be the logical thing to do. Something bothered me however.

"Don't you think…"

"Yes, I noticed that too." he cut off, looking at the woman. "Let's get to cover."

We leapt simultaneously and landed under the wooden awning of a two storey house. The door was locked and the window shutters closed. I handed the limp woman over to Shikamaru. He held her with one arm and put two fingers to her forehead.

"KAI!"

Chakra flashed briefly at his fingertips, but to no effects. He grumbled his discontent.

"The genjutsu is too strong, I can't break it. But I don't think that's the main objective."

I nodded. "She was placed out in the open to attract attention."

His tone was now serious. "If it's a trap, we better leave before-"

The door behind us clicked and swung inwards.

I stood up in shock. A pale-skinned man stepped out. His long dark hair was dry.

"Before what?" he smirked.

Shikamaru froze, wide eyed. Fear twisted his usually passive face.

Lightning flashed.

Shikamaru dropped the woman and brought his hands together. The enemy ninja glided a step closer. His arm flew forward, painted nails stabbing a shoulder. His other hand caught my dart.

I twisted for a roundhouse kick. Shikamaru's left arm went limp, dropping to his side as he shuffled backwards. The man snapped forwards. My leg flew overhead harmlessly.

Shikamaru lunged with a kunai. Our opponent twisted in mid-air, launching a leg upwards and connecting with my jaw. The sudden pressure knocked out my brain and my eyes closed momentarily…

I regained control before I landed on my back. I taxed my abdominal muscles to jump back into an offensive stance… too late.

Shikamaru was lifted from the ground. A pale hand gripped his neck, causing him to choke. Shit shit shit shit. I formed a pair of darts as quickly as I could; I wasn't allowed to carry weapons.

The intruder's eyes flashed red and three tomoe spun in each pupil. Shikamaru went limp, head rolling to the side with his eyes wide open. Itachi Uchiha let go of his victim.

My heart froze as I watched my new friend drop to his knees and fall face first into the mud. He didn't move.

Thunder rolled across the sky.

The Uchiha twisted his neck slowly to look at me. He carried no metal, nothing I could use against him. The bastard was prepared.

"What do you want?!" I burst out. My breath turned ragged with anger. "Did the Akatsuki send you?"

Itachi turned to face me and stood straight. We were only a few meters apart, still under the retractable wooden roof. With deliberate movements, he removed his black and red robes.

"This isn't for the Akatsuki. I'm on a personal mission." he said. His voice was as cold and hard as his stare. "You captured my brother. You stole his future… and I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago."

"You abandoned your brother!"

Lightning illuminated the Uchiha in monochrome.

"Yes I did. Now, I'm going to save him."

I shuddered at his words. This was the Uchiha who had massacred his whole clan in a night… and I had hurt his brother.

* * *

Thank you so much for the reviews!

**Loxlly**: Thanks! Itachi Uchiha was probably the most powerful character in the Naruto Universe until Pein and Madara were introduced. Kenobi, in his current state... probably just gets swatted aside.

**Loteva**: Actually, the characters are purely canon, since the simulation wants to faithfully reproduce Kishimoto's work. The only changes in the characters present are when the simulation is forced to adapt to Kenobi's influence on those around him. So, unless stated otherwise, assume all characters are perfectly canon.

**Narutorox**: A fitting description of Kenobi's role during Ino's shopping spree. Don't forget being a mule for bags.


	17. Part 5: Execution

**Exit Strategy** by Crackalive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

Only through special circumstances can Kenobi hope to face the mighty Uchiha!

AN: Battles! Lots of them! Involving Kenobi or not, this chapter is simply full of fighting! Also, please check a cleaned version of the last chapter and the response to reviews I have posted at the bottom.

AN2: Technically, it's Tuesday according to GMT so I can post this :X

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 5:**

**III- EXECUTION**

The rain continued to pour with a deafening rumble.

I faced my opponent, adrenalin coursing through my veins. Itachi Uchiha was deathly still. Only his red eyes moved, shifting restlessly.

Slowly, I positioned myself for an attack. My opponent mirrored my movements, achieving the offensive stance before I did. Damn. Like his brother, the Sharingan predicted my actions before I finished thinking about them.

No, I thought. This was worse. Itachi was much more experienced than Sasuke. The feints I had used before would not work here. This Uchiha was simply faster, deadlier and not fooling around.

I changed stance, leaning backwards and raising my fists in front of me. Itachi turned his front foot inwards and held an arm back. I grumbled a curse. This was impossible.

My eyes darted to the limp figure of Shikamaru, exposed to the rain. I couldn't give up. I had to try.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced. Something I had read and not paid attention to; just two lines lost in a recount of some battle. The Sharingan could be beaten. Itachi noticed my growing smile and narrowed his eyes.

"Tell me…" I said. "What's the punishment for a missing-nin like Sasuke?"

I snapped forward just as his mouth opened to answer. I kicked low. His knee crashed into my lower leg. My right fist swung to his stomach. The Uchiha leaned backwards, twisting on his left heel. His left punch caught my arm _before _I started a second attack. Yes, this was it. Intention versus action. My right arm twisted in an impossible movement and sent my elbow upwards. He sidestepped at the last second, my sleeve brushing against his jaw.

I retreated.

A late spike of pain pierced my chest. My hand went to my sternum, feeling for a fracture. The bastard had gotten a punch in while I retreated. We glared at each other, shivering from the occasional gust of wind that brought rain under the extended roof.

The Sharingan could pierce through my moves by reading my muscle movements and following my line of sight. The solution could be found in Naruto's final fight with Sasuke. The young Uchiha's immature Sharingan could follow Naruto with ease, but when the demonic chakra enveloped its host with a will of its own, the boy lost his advantage. The same could happen here. It was true my body could be read like an open book by a master of the cursed red eye… but my metal was being commanded from outside the simulation.

I tensed the metal wires around my limbs. They weren't restrained by joints, ligaments and nerve signals. With them, I could catch Itachi off-guard with unpredictable attacks flesh and blood could not achieve. A final glance to Shikamaru's still form, a deep breath and I was ready.

Right kick. Aim across at stomach. Predict intercept, continue rotation. Roundhouse to head. Duck, spin and backhand across face. Slide foot back to cancel momentum. Crouch, then rise with knee to hip and right punch under ribs. Push away opponent. Retreat and build up speed again.

The orders flashed down my spine in an unbroken sequence of nerve signals. I watched as the Sharingan darted between my eyes and my limbs. Itachi's body shifted in preparation of a counter-attack as soon as I moved. While my body executed the orders, my mind took control of the wire frame.

Magnetic forces shifted my leg upwards, over the low guard. Itachi's left hand swung across in a weaker block. My right foot slid down as I launched off the left. Double-handed block. Metal slithered down my sleeves. I pulled back my leg. He shifted forward to counter-attack… just as my heel reversed its motion and slammed into his cheek.

Itachi's hands blurred. My thigh fell limp to a double jab to a nerve cluster. Metal wires bent it back despite the numb resistance. My arms were too slow to intercept a right hook into my stomach. I stumbled back from a hit to the jaw, then felt a sandal sweep me off-balance.

The metal in my cloak rattled from the fall. For an instant, I stared, on my back, at the cold killing machine towering over me.

I rolled to the side as his foot splintered wood, then pushed off and slid away from lethal hammer blow. As soon as I rose into a crouch, his heel slammed into my shoulders. I slid on the wet wood.

Itachi was relentless.

His fists blurred again. My guard was crushed in an instant. I blocked the first punch but reverted to protecting my face as hit after hit punished my ribs and gut.

In the corner of my eye, I saw his bloodied fist pull back for the final strike. It was now or never. I lowered my arms and stepped in. My left fist accelerated forwards only to be slapped aside. I hadn't even seen him change guard!

The Uchiha blocked my rising knee with his own, leaning forward and pushing to unbalance me. I extended my right fist. He ended the movement by grabbing my sleeve… the metal spear shot out and pierced his lung.

I saw his eyes widen. His grip tightened on my sleeve. Our eyes locked.

My feet dug into the wood to jump away. The metal spear reeled out of my robes, embedded in flesh. Quickly, I generated a magnetic field within the tip and made it expan-

Itachi disappeared in a cloud of smoke. His Akatsuki robes swung from a rapidly ballooning ball of spikes. I cancelled the field and reeled the metal back in, twisting to search for my enemy. A bolt of pain ran up my thigh and I fell to a knee.

I coughed blood, spitting the coppery liquid aside. My body in bad shape. The stomach wound had re-opened, and I felt several organs hard and swollen under my skin. My pain barrier struggled to filter out the intempestive signals. Also, I was at the limit of my endurance. Of all these problems though, what bothered me most was that this was Itachi Uchiha's first use of ninjutsu.

Teeth gritted, I stood up and hobbled to the edge of the wooden platform. Why hadn't the Uchiha used his chakra until- Of course! He was trying to infiltrate a village filled with elite ninja. He was trying to avoid detection… but why give up now?

The answer landed behind me in a splash of muddied water.

"Kenobi!"

I whirled to face the two ninja. Asuma and a dark skinned jounin faced me with worried expressions.

"Shikamaru sent a message" said the sensei with a rough voice. His eyes wandered to my bruises. "What happened?"

I spoke quickly. "Itachi Uchiha. He's here for Sasuke. He left when you two arrived."

Both of them tensed visibly. Asuma turned to the other man.

"Nido, get reinforcements!"

The younger jounin hesitated. "Who should I ask for?"

"Get everyone! Go!" Asuma spat. Nido leapt back into the rainstorm.

Team 10's sensei turned to see his student motionless in the mud. I noticed the shudder run down his spine, and how his knuckles blanched over the trench knife he now wielded. He dashed to the teenager's side and checked his pulse.

"I think he's been put under genjutsu. He's just knocked out."

The Sarutobi let out a sigh of relief. He rolled his student onto his back and opened his jacket. Shikamaru's face was contorted into a mask of agony and it pained me to see him like this. He had been my best friend so far.

"Kenobi!"

"Yes?"

"Carry him to the hospital. Don't come back, you're not in a state to fight anymore!" A shockwave smashed the nearest windows, followed by a groundshaking rumble. "Quickly!"

I clenched my fists. Four half-sharpened darts rose around me. "I can still-"

"No!" he ordered. The jounin lifted Shikamaru and pushed him into my arms. "Go _now._"

I started revolving the darts around me before giving in to the commanding stare. My arms wrapped around the wet body, and with a pulse of magnetic force, I launched myself backwards onto the nearest roof. The rain had started dying down, and the mist had cleared enough to reveal Itachi's position.

It was pretty obvious.

A demonic torso, made up of flaming orange chakra, rose from a circle of debris two rows of houses ahead. Black tendrils emerged from the skeletal joints and enveloped the bones, forming red flesh. Finally, a cloak covered it, leaving only glowing eyes visible.

Looking down, I saw Asuma perform hand seals. Further down the street, a ninja lay unconscious in a puddle. Another of Itachi's victims. I sensed several distinct masses of metal approaching; Asuma's reinforcement. I spat out blood, sliding down the tiled roof to a less curved section to ease the pressure on my leg. Itachi's monster was now sprouting a third right arm, knocking over houses with its elbows. Panicked villagers fled the destruction.

Metal pooled at my feet and hardened into an oval shape. Behind me, the sky flashed and sizzled from the exchange of Fire jutsus.

* * *

The hospital was buzzing with activity already. Beds and healing circles were being prepared while medical ninjas reported for duty.

I left Shikamaru in the care of medic specializing in genjutsu victims, re-assigned from the interrogation squad. He had said that dozens of ninja had been afflicted with the same condition.

Before I escape back outside, I succumbed to the insistence of a plump, brown-haired woman and sat down to let her heal my wounds. Time was short and without chakra coils, healing me took longer than usual. However, this medic was more stubborn than Naruto.

"I'm fine now, I tell you." I told her.

"No you're not! You've got blunt trauma written all over you!" She lowered a glowing palm to my abdomen. I tried stopping her but she slapped my hand away. "Let me examine you properly! Stupid macho teenagers never admitting they're injured-" She gasped. Her voice turned shrill. "Your abdominal wall is open… and" -her hand shifted to the side- "your kidneys are swollen" -she moved up- "and you've broken your floating ribs."

I winced at the memory of the punch that did that; a particularly nasty upper hook. The medic now had a reason to send me to bed and lock me up in a room.

"I wonder how you're even standing. You'll be pissing blood for days. Now come with me." She pulled my ear when I tried to move away. "Uh uh. No more beating yourself up to impress the girls. Come along now or I'll get security to drag you up."

I sighed and trudged behind her. Her name tag read Hiruma.

"Mrs Hiruma, I've got to return to-"

"Shush!" she hissed, ploughing her way down the corridor. "If you won't stay put I'm strapping you to your bed."

"Oh that won't be needed, Hiruma…"

I swiveled to face the sweet melody that had formed those words, the voice of freedom, the promise of escape…

"Because I've got him under control."

No! I groaned as I recognized the pulsating fist and the dash of pink hair. Sakura was in the mood for stomping kittens.

"Dear Sakura, tell this woman I'm fine and healthy. I needed to get back to-"

"Don't sweet talk me, Kenobi!" the girl snapped. "You've already tried escaping hospitals." Her claws wrapped themselves around my collar. "_Twice_."

A whimper escaped my lips as I was literally dragged away. I hated hospitals.

* * *

Another explosion rattled the window.

"You done yet?" I asked, trying to put all of my boredom in frustration into my words.

"Shut up already. Still haven't finished with your kidney."

Her face was bunched up in concentration, ridges forming elongated shadows as the evening sun dipped. I sighed and levitated a kunai out of her pouch.

"Put it back in." she said slowly, eyes never leaving the scroll under her. I pouted, then realized this was the longest we'd been together since two weeks, and maybe the last for a long time.

"Sakura."

"What is it now?" she said, irritation harshening her tone.

"Have you come to a decision?"

Her healing glow flickered for a second. "What decision?" the kunoichi asked, wary.

I let her reach her own conclusion. She stayed silent.

"It's been two weeks."

She looked at me for a moment before returning to the scroll. A sigh lengthened her breath.

"I see." She frowned. "Are you asking this because you're bored or do you really care?"

I wanted to grin but my throat was dry and my heart pounding. "A bit of both…?"

"Hum."

Silence. Fiery yellow light illuminated the room briefly. Sakura removed her hands from my abdomen and we both moved to sit facing each other. The pink-haired girl took her time rolling her medical scroll. I watched her, strangely tense.

Eventually she looked up and held my gaze. "I'm over Sasuke but I'm not going to let that ruin my life. I was ready to give my heart and soul to him, but now I realize that closing up my feelings is just as stupid." There was a silence during with a blush colored her cheeks. "… so, that's my decision."

Maintaining the serious face I had questioned her with was difficult. Despite my efforts, a smile curved my lips.

"Does that mean… you and I can…"

Her face was fully red now. She tried covering her embarrassment with anger. However, her mouth and cheeks didn't follow. "I kn-know you feel strongly for me but that doesn't mean I'm going to make it easy. If want anything you're going to have work for it. And if you're anything like Lee or Naruto you're going to eat my fists."

I couldn't hold back anymore. A grin divided my head in two.

"Is the great Sakura asking to be wooed?" I teased.

She clenched her fists. "So what? I'm a girl and I demand to be treated as such!"

If a smile could reach ears, mine just did. Good thing she looking away to hide her burning cheeks.

"In that case-"

The hospital's fire alarm drowned out whatever I was going to say. I groaned inwardly. She'd practically handed me over an invitation! Things were getting interesting!

Pulsating sound waves reverberated down the polished corridors. I got up and opened the window to look outside.

Itachi was now facing dozens of ninjas, his monster shrugging off waves of water and streams of flame. The orange-red chakra flared amidst a trail of destruction. A few hundred meters away, the hospital seemed untouched.

I turned to Sakura and gestured upwards. She shook her head vigorously and pointed to my wounds with a cross expression. A light blush remained on her cheeks. I smiled and jumped out.

* * *

My platform collapsed into my cloak just before I landed. The sun now cast long shadows and colored the dispersing rainclouds shades of orange and red.

I soon found the cause for the fire alarm. Less than a hundred meters away, an entire building was engulfed in black flames.

Sakura landed behind me, furious.

"Where do you think you're going…. Oh."

"What is that technique?" I asked.

She frowned, tensing when Itachi's chakra sword swung a massive arc, the shockwave shattering nearby windows.

"It's the Amaterasu. Black blames which can burn anything, even other flames."

"The how can we stop it?"

"I don't know! It's said it burn for seven days and nights and water won't extinguish it."

Villagers fled from the vicinity of the burning building. I concentrated on the base of the flames, and true to Sakura's description, they were burning on the brick and mortar of the walls.

"Let's go then."

"No!"

I twisted to face her. She looked ready to jump into those flames.

"Sakura. Face it. We can't stop the fire and it's obvious Itachi is using this as a diversion. The more ninja that waste their efforts over here, the less he has to face himself. Let's go where we can be more-"

"You're wrong!" she shouted. She glared at me as if I was spewing nonsense, a look she usually reserved for Naruto. It pissed me off to be treated as an idiot. "You may not have grown up in Konoha, but it's different over here! The ninja's first mission is to protect the village. We can't just abandon these people!"

"Sakura, it's not…"

I looked into her eyes and knew that instant she wasn't listening to reason, her fiery determination unyielding.

" Fine. Just this once then."

Her shoulders relaxed and she leapt ahead. I sighed.

* * *

Itachi had cast Amaterasu on a residential area of Konoha. Two floor houses were neatly lined up on each side of the street, and the black flames moved from one to another seamlessly. Frightened villagers fled the scene, dragging whatever belonging they could get their hands on.

Sakura seemed agitated.

"Come on Kenobi, let's find if someone needs help." she said, sounding nervous.

I frowned. "I don't think that's the correct course of action. We have to stop the fire."

She paused and gave me a puzzled look. "Didn't I explain that you can't extinguish the Amaterasu?"

"I know we can't do that. We can however stop it spreading to the other houses. We need a firebreak."

"A what?"

"Firebreak. Create a gap between the fire and its next source of fuel." She nodded. "We break down that house, and that one on the other end. You take down this one."

"Ok."

I prepared to launch myself ahead but paused.

"Hey Sakura, calm down. Itachi's not going to attack us here."

The kunoichi scowled, staring at the black flames. "I know! It's just that… that's where I live."

My eyes widened as I recognized the street. Sakura's house was the third to the left.

"Hurry then!" I shouted.

Less than a minute later, the flames' advance had been halted. The ground still shuddered from Sakura's chakra-fuelled punch. Flat rectangles of metal finished pushing the debris to the side, collapsing into more compact cylinders.

A short gust of wind let me feel the intense heat emanating from the burning wreckage to my right. The nerve endings in my fingers tingled from the use of my magnetic powers. I somehow felt as if I was getting used to it, but there was much room for improvement. The cylinders floated over to my side.

"Sakura!" I called out.

Silence.

Dammit. I took a deep breath, dry ashes tickling my nose and marched up the street, wall of flames to my side. A metal shield provided protection from the intense heat spitting out red-hot embers.

The girl stood panting in front of massive pit, fissures extending from the crushed edges to the other side of the street. I stepped closer, placing a hand on her shoulder as I leaned forward. Two meters deep, around 10 meters wide; over six hundred meters cubed of soil displaced. I wondered how such destruction could originate from the stiff muscles under my palm.

"You okay?"

Sakura gulped in air and straightened up, smiling weakly. My hand slid off.

"You kind of over-did it."

Her eyes shifted over my shoulder. I turned to see a team of Konoha ninja land.

"They'll know what to do." Sakura said. "Let's tell them what we did with the firebreak-thing you suggested."

I stepped to follow her but hesitated. "Sakura…" She turned, impatient to further restrain the fire. "Hey! Follow me, I need you for something."

The kunoichi frowned, confused. One of the men had spotted us and was now marching towards us. I grabbed her hand.

"Hey kids!" he now called. "You shouldn't b-"

My hand darted to grab hers. I sent a magnetic pulse down through my legs, causing the metal coils to align in an explosive kick to the ground. Sakura was jerked into the sky along with me.

* * *

"What was that for?!"

Pinkie girl was pissed. She stepped off the enlarged metal platform onto the rounded top of a water tower, arms crossed over her chest. I shrank the platform and remained hovering in front of her. Better avoid those punches.

"I'm sorry, but-"

"What's wrong with you?!" she screeched. "You could have dislocated my shoulder, you idiot!"

I sighed and started again. "Remember the rules Tsunade imposed on me?"

She stared at me angrily, flexing her arm. I reached behind my back and pulled out a long metal spike. "No weapons rule?"

"So you were scared they'd arrest you?" Her hand clenched into a fist. "That's stupid! We're in a crisis situation right now, they'd just report it for… later."

I suppressed a smile. The kunoichi's fist swung into empty air. "You could have just warned me! And wipe off that freaky grin!"

Her right foot extended in an enraged stomp, hitting the nearest edge of the platform and flipping me forward. Before I could react, her left fist slammed into my cheek and sprawled me face down on the water tower.

She dusted her hands. "Now I'm listening."

Why did I have to choose her? What fate was worth her temper? I retracted the platform into my cloak and sat up slowly, nursing my swollen face. Sakura tapped her foot, waiting.

"Itachi can't face all of Konoha's ninjas for long. I deduced that much from his attempt to fight me without using chakra. Sooner or later, he's going to have to leave." I folded my legs under me. "From here I can watch him and follow his escape."

Sakura's thunderous glare turned pensive. "He'll use a genjutsu to cover his tracks, and since you are unaffected by it…"

"I'll be able to see in which direction he leaves and intercept him."

The teenager nodded, turning her gaze over to the battle raging above the prison. Ninja darted like fleas on a dog, jutsu harmless against the impenetrable shield of orange-yellow chakra. Three massive arms, each taller than a house, dispersed the defenders. Focusing on the ground, I made out the bright white chakra of Kakashi's lightning jutsu and the flash of Asuma's gunpowder cloud igniting. Sakura's sandal blotted my vision and embedded itself in my face.

"WHAT DO YA MEAN YOU FOUGHT ITACHI?!" she shrieked.

My pain barrier strained against the signals from my nose. Naruto had been her punching bag for too long; now she couldn't measure her force.

"I'm fine, he wasn't using any chakra and the fight lasted for all of five minutes." I uttered between gritted teeth.

With a sigh, she lowered her fist and knelt in front of me. Green chakra emanated from her palm.

"You had me worried, Kenobi." she said, hand gliding over my face.

The pain signals died down and I found myself staring at her eyes again. She averted her gaze. I coughed and looked down. No, that was her chest. I turned my eyes to the side, feeling awkward.

"I'm done."

The pink-haired kunoichi stood and turned to face the battle. A spinning disk of chakra was thrown from one of the massive arms, de-capitating a three-headed water dragon. Seconds later, a cloud of dust rose from the forest beyond the village walls, making the spot where the disk had landed.

I patted the spot next to me. "Sit down, this might take a while."

With a huff, she sat down...well away from me. My hand grabbed the edge of my cloak and lifted it.

"Want to come in?"

Sakura gave me a poisonous look. "Never." she hissed.

I hid my smile and waited. The bottom of the sun's red disk now touched the treetops. Itachi's monster was now glowing amidst rising pillars of smoke. A gust of cold wind ruffled my hair, bringing with it the smell of charred wood.

I turned to look at Sakura. She was rubbing her bare arms.

"Offer still stands."

She eyed me up and shifted next to me. Yes! Short victory dance in my head. I pulled the cloak over her shoulders and left my arm around her. I couldn't suppress a smile this time. It didn't last.

"Kenobi." she whispered. "Remove your arm."

My heart dropped. Her tone was a death menace. Shivering, I slid my arm down her back and returned to my half of the cloak.

"You're no fun" I whispered back.

"I know." She grinned and placed her head on my shoulder, hair tickling my jawline. "You've just got to try harder."

A warm sensation spread from my stomach up to my chest and head. That didn't last long either.

The mass of orange-red chakra was dimming now. Chains wrapped around its sword arm, further immobilized by a three-headed dragon coiling around it. I focused on the Suiton technique. Floating inside the mass of water forming the dragon was a cloud of leaves... or explosive tags.

Boom! Multiple explosions burst out from the dragon, shearing the arm off. The shockwave made the metal tank I sat on shudder. Sakura gripped my arm under the cloak.

Without warning, the monster's exterior dissipated, black tendrils retreating into the joints. The yellow skeleton now buckled under the renewed attacks of a dozen ninja. Itachi was losing. He would be gone soon, and with him my moment with Sakura. I hated him more than his brother now.

A minute later, the chakra disappeared.

The kunoichi's grip tightened.

"He's using it!" she hissed.

An eerie silence washed over the village. My eyes were still adapting to the sudden drop in light. The ninja who were launching jutsu after jutsu had stopped.

"Can't you see it? There's crows everywhere!"

I turned to look at her. Her eyes darted between invisible spots in the sky. She cast aside the cloak and brought her hands together. "Kai!"

She frowned. "KAI!"

The kunoichi turned to me, frustration evident in her scowl. "It's no use, I can't dispel it. Can you see anything?"

I didn't answer, too busy scanning the circle of devastation surrounding Itachi's previous position. The area was covered in shadow and the fires didn't provide enough light to see what was happening.

A figure rose in the air, a black outline against the fading blue of the sky.

I pulled Sakura to her feet. She felt my tension.

"Got him." I said. "Time for a rematch."

* * *

**AN:** Yes! I am an evil, _evil_ author that doesn't finish his fights. Kenobi got whacked around by Itachi, but only because Itachi was trying to defeat him without using chakra. Otherwise, Kenobi would have lost without being able to do anything. Well... that just means you have to stick around until next week! Ku ku ku ku...


	18. Part 5: Konoha's Shadow

**Exit Strategy** by Crackalive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

Here it is! The biggest battle since the start of the series!

AN: Watch out for the Rock of Doom. Seriously, any object in a skilled ninja's hands can become deadly.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 5:**

**IV- KONOHA'S SHADOW**

Itachi was lightening quick.

Despite my speed, I only caught up with him as he cleared the village walls. Sakura hung onto my cloak for dear life when I started dropping from the sky.

Seconds later, we jumped off the metal platform. In front of us rose an impenetrable wall of trees. The forest was shrouded in darkness, only the treetops catching the last rays from the sun.

I turned to face the pink-haired kunoichi.

"I can't see anything." I told her.

She was massaging her temples, eyes shut. Slowly, she lifted her head and opened her eyes. A slight glow escaped them.

"Night vision." She explained, slightly amused. "If I see something…"

"You can communicate like this, you know." I said, activating her earpiece.

I got a scowl in return. Last week, I had promised to take it off. She kicked off angrily and I followed her into the darkness.

* * *

Cold air whipped my skin.

Sakura sped ahead with practiced skill, her hair the only splash of color amongst the shades of deep blue. Each of her bounds raised a cloud of dead leaves, the humid soil dampening the noise. I would often lose sight of her, only for her to reappear further ahead.

Adrenalin coursed through my veins. Tree trunks simply appeared from the hazy darkness in front, requiring a split second dodge to avoid them. Their assault was incessant, one after the other, sometimes requiring a metal shield to absorb the blow and slide off when I didn't move fast enough. I concentrated on Sakura's regular breathing in my ears to calm down, trying to follow her lead as she weaved through the obstacle course, unfazed.

"2 o'clock. Itachi, carrying Sasuke."

I lowered my foot, carving a path through piles of leaves before kicking off a patch of dry soil.

"Got it. Go up. I'll intercept."

The thud as she kicked off into the branches overhead was transmitted clearly. I increased my pace, darts now revolving around me. Three metal cylinders fell out of my cloak, aligning themselves in the air and humming with magnetic energy. My fists tightened unwillingly as electricity zapped my nerves.

Far ahead, a dark figure dashed through the trees.

"You ready, Sakura?"

There was no hesitation in her voice. "Ready."

* * *

Itachi felt the air vibrate. Trained reflexes sent him airborne, a volley of darts clawing the ground underneath him.

An instant later, three darts whistled past his ear.

I saw his red Sharingan, bright in the darkness, snap directly towards me. My feet hit a stretch of solid ground, pushing off again. I stabilized myself in the air, aimed and released another set of darts. The Uchiha dodged effortlessly, hardly slowed down by a limp Sasuke under his arm.

Faster.

Nails dug into my palm, sweat broke out on my forehead. Six metal projectiles plowed through the air in circles, high pitch whine growing in intensity.

The sharpened darts blasted out of their orbits. I pushed them to the right as Itachi shifted to avoid them… only for him to dig his heel into the ground and tumble to the side. A pile of dead leaves exploded upwards behind him. It's impossible to hit him, I cursed. He knows where they're going to hit thanks to his Sharingan.

"Sakura."

"In position."

"Do it now."

"4 seconds."

I readied another set of darts. My hands were numb now, but it didn't matter. A shadow flashed past. I saw her plummet from the trees, face contorted with effort. I jumped. Her fist hit the ground with a massive crash that echoed deep into the forest.

I thought I was ready for it, until the trees toppled, a geyser of broken rock erupted from the ground and a wave of air blasted past. The topsoil was shaken away by boulders rolling out of the crater like pebbles. My speed carried me over the protruding bedrock… and brought me within sight of Itachi.

Through the screen of falling stones, our eyes met. His eyes were wide with surprise… but could not hide fear.

My metal darts carved a path through the debris. Itachi was in the air; he could not avoid them all…

The Uchiha threw his brother and apparated next to him. The smoke cloud was blown apart as it was traversed by my projectiles.

I tightened my fist in frustration, not knowing whether my fingers moved or not. Sakura tumbled down below. She must have put too much chakra into the justu and got caught by it. I pushed off a jutting edge of rock, aiming at her. I extended a hand and caught the back of her medic gown. With a roll, she was thrown forward, cancelling my own momentum. I brought my feet under me at end of my maneuver.

She righted herself in the air and dashed forward. The rocks still rumbled behind us.

"I missed."

"No you didn't. He's slowing down." I stared ahead, trying to spot Itachi. "You hit him." she stated.

My sigh was lost in the buffeting wind. "He's still too fast for me. It won't work; we'll have to-"

The explosion splintered wood, resounding across the silent forest. I blacked out for a second.

Sakura was held tightly in my arms, metal shield over my back. Shards of wood pitted it, and some had broken through. A sharp pain over my hip confirmed an injury.

"Keno-"

A second explosion split the branch I was aiming to land on. Metal slid down my sleeve to protect me… only me. I grasped the arm Sakura had raised to protect herself and threw her a split second before I was showered by pieces of wood of various sizes and sharpness.

I grunted from the pain, forming a platform in mid-air before I was slammed into the next tree. Itachi had anticipated the path I'd take to escape the first explosion. I looked down at my body and winced at the sight. One half was bloodied, splinters pinning my clothes to the skin.

I swerved around a tree trunk, finding Sakura crouched on a higher branch. I continued past her, tightening the orbit of a new set of darts to avoid hitting her.

"Kenobi!"

Her voice rang,shaken, in my ear. I had seen her eyes widen at the damp half of my shirt and trousers.

"I'm fine, dammit. Why did you stop for?! We're going to lose him now."

"I-"

I felt her catch up with me, extending a glowing hand to my injuries. It was touching that she cared, but I could still fight, and if Itachi wasn't visible in the corner of my eye, we would have lost the target because of her. I tried my best not to produce an angry glare.

"There's no time for that!" I shouted over the wind. "Come on!"

Her eyes hardened dangerously. Then a shadow ran across her face and she returned to her initial determined expression. I wondered what had gone through her head.

Maybe I was acting too much like Sasuke did.

* * *

Itachi's bounds were now lopsided, relying more on one leg to push off the ground than the other. When he turned to look at me land behind him, his eyes were no longer red.

We broke into a clearing, dark blue sky dotted with stars overhead. Sasuke's legs dangling under his brother's arms gave the impression of a four-legged crab in the darkness.

I launched my darts. Four puffs of dust marked where they landed. Itachi staggered from his backflip, catching Sasuke from where he had thrown him. His Sharingan reverted to black.

I accelerated after him, only to skid to a halt. The Uchiha had dropped his brother in the middle of the clearing, crouching over him protectively.

Itachi's right leg trembled, a hole in the fabric covering it.

Sakura dropped from the trees behind me, kunai raised. Her breathing was regular, demeanor calm… professional.

"How much chakra has he got left?" I asked.

Her lips moved silently. "Nearly nothing. We have to move him away from Sasuke."

I nodded, remembering Shikamaru's lessons. "Duo formation three?"

"Two is better. He isn't going anywhere."

"Ok."

"I'll go up front-"

"No. I'll engage him. His taijutsu will beat yours." I felt her flinch. "I'll face his Sharingan, you'll come in from the back when he moves away."

She didn't answer, preferring to kick the ground and cross the clearing in a single bound.

I took a deep breath and walked up to Itachi Uchiha.

As I got closer, I made out the details of his face. Black hair extended over his forehead protector. Tear troughs ran down his cheeks. I could hear ragged breath enter his mouth, exiting shakily. His teeth were gritted and the look he gave me was hateful. Taking aim, I launched two darts at him.

Both were deflected by a hard surface. A palm-sized stone glinted in his hand. His eyes were red once more, the glow fading and reverting to onyx darkness.

I had no choice. I had to beat him with my own hands.

He crouched lower, stone held over his head. I sent a magnetic pulse down my metal wires, preparing my assault.

"In position." Sakura transmitted.

* * *

My arm crashed down against his guard, once again bringing his weight to bear over his injured leg. He gasped and swung furiously with the stone. I ducked before it hit me head, rotating on my feet to kick low_. Sasuke's_ leg blocked the attack, Itachi's heel under it. A painful two-fingered jab numbed my shoulder before I could react.

Itachi's exhaustion and injuries worked against him, and yet he maintained perfect form. His execution was perfect, aided by the Sharingan that he activated intermittently. Not once did he leave his brother's side, taking damage willingly to stick close to him.

I understood just then that Itachi was ready to give up his life for Sasuke.

I saw it in the rage he put behind his strikes, the fear in his eyes when I touched Sasuke, the risks he took to simply push me away. My plan of distancing the two and having Sakura steal Sasuke away hadn't taken account the man's suicidal intent.

The rock slammed into my elbow, followed by a fist to my nose when my punch was deviated. I staggered backwards, snorting out blood. It wasn't broken.

I moved in once again, aiming for his head. The stone swapped hands as he caught my foot. I lengthened a spear of metal past my sleeve to break his hold. Itachi deflected it with his improvised weapon. The metal curved behind him and darted for his back.

The Uchiha threw the stone over my shoulder and replaced himself with it. My elbow dug into his rips. Unfazed, his arm snaked over my neck and tightened. I heard Sakura's gasp in my ear as he squeezed my windpipe shut. I pounded his ribs with my elbows, but he did not let go. His other arm caught the tendril extending out of my sleeve. Desperately, I tried sharpening the metal in my cloak into spikes, but it wasn't fast enough.

Darkness crept into the edge of my vision…

I picked up a dart lying in the dust and accelerated it towards him. My neck was bruised as he jerked to the side at the last second, dragging me with him. The activated sharingan blazed behind me. There was only one thing I could do.

The dart picked up speed, turned then looped back… and plunged towards Sasuke. I felt Itachi's grip tighten before his arm disappeared in a wave of chakra. The man reappeared over his brother, stone intercepting the projectile.

I gasped and sucked in air, falling to my knees as my legs felt suddenly weak. Itachi's eyes flashed menacingly… then he too fell in front of me. He had shunshined directly over the spear I had extended over Sasuke. It now protruded from his back, slick with blood.

Slowly, I stood up. Blood dripped from the Uchiha's mouth. I waved my hand twice behind my back.

"Why?"

Itachi perked up at my voice.

"Why sacrifice yourself for a criminal? What good does it do you to save the very person who vowed to kill you?"

His head rose.

"Sasuke is evil. He gladly gave himself up to the likes of Orochimaru. He hurt his friends and all those around him." I shook my head. "He is not worth sav-"

"He is my brother!"

My eyes widened at the sudden outburst. His voice had the bubbly rasp of blood in the airways. Tears diluted the blood at his chin. Tears of frustration.

"I will save him because" -cough- "it is what an older brother does. It is my duty to protect him… at the cost of my own life!"

He was practically screaming by the end, spitting blood. I was deeply troubled but didn't show it.

"It's too late, Itachi." I said calmly. "Hand him over."

"Never!" -cough- "I won't let him be executed and his corpse desecrated for his eyes."

I winced. Sakura landed twenty meters away, wary of the exchange.

"Itachi… you're going to die like this. Maybe we could work someth-"

I was interrupted by a chuckle, a mirthless gurgle deep in his throat. He shook his head, then pain contorted his face as he stood up, metal spear sliding back out. The Uchiha spat blood and his eyes bored into mine.

"You don't understand. I died once already…" He stepped backwards and crouched protectively over Sasuke's limp body. "…when I first abandoned him. Never again."

His hands sprung into action, forming a flurry of seals. A second later, he sucked in air, puffed his cheeks and… Sakura crashed into my shoulder, her weight sending me to the ground. A stream of flames erupted from Itachi's lips, hissing overhead.

I grasped the kunoichi and sprang away when the Katon moved to burn the ground.

Itachi's legs faltered momentarily before he regained his composure, breathing hard. He flashed through a new set of seals and created a Kage Bunshin. One Itachi bled and trembled while the other stared calmly, arm resting lazily in fresh Akatsuki robes. It picked up Sasuke and dashed away.

Sakura sprung immediately, giving chase.

"Go get him, Sakura."

Her answer was frighteningly enthusiastic. "Just watch me!"

I wondered when she had worked herself up so much.

My gaze returned to the original body. His demonic red eyes had returned. This was his last stand. He was going to give it his all, whatever the consequences... and I responded in kind.

* * *

I dodged a hail of fireballs, breaking up several with a metal shield. It sizzled and grew red at the edges.

The edge sharpened and accelerated towards Itachi. He sprung above it, arcing towards me and spinning mid-air to drop an axe kick. My arms raised over my head buckled from the impact.

I shifted my guard and moved the catch the fabric of his trousers. A strong pull brought his chest in the path of my fist.

Specks of blood flicked from his mouth as he rolled with the blow. Still horizontal at chest level, I grabbed another piece of fabric followed his fall. At the last second, I brought my elbow between us and broke a rib.

A silent cry of agony twisted his lips, cut short by a bestial snarl. His hand shot to my face, nails narrowly missing my eyes. The other arm smashed against my left temple, knocking me off him.

I rolled away from a heel that pitted the trampled soil. There was a moment's silence. I gathered metal between us on instinct… just in time for a wave of searing flames to blast against it. Using the smoke from burning grass as cover, I darted out from under the shield, leaving it in place as a distraction.

Once the distance between us had increased enough, I whirled to face the Uchiha. The flames sputtered and he shook violently, coughing blood. He staggered back on his injured leg, before straining to right himself again.

Two darts accelerated to lethal speed over the stretch of blackened grass. Neither hit.

A rock flew towards me. I readied a spear, expecting a Kawarimi, and poked the volume he would occupy. Instants later, I noticed the smoking tag.

The explosions sent me flying, winded and stung. Moments later, a bloodied fist smashed into my face. I reeled from the impact, hitting the ground and starting to tumble. Sky was replaced by ground, then reappeared. My momentum was killed on Itachi's knee. I could hear the bones _creak_ from the impact.

I dropped, unmoving, to the ground. Itachi shuddered in front of me; the two Shunshins should have killed him already.

My body was unresponsive. The shallow breaths were insufficient to fuel the adrenalin rushing through my veins. Pain? Reluctance? flashed across his face.

He placed his foot on my throat, then lifted it. The Uchiha was going to snap my neck in a single blow. I watched as the bottom of the sandal rose higher and higher, like a guillotine blade being hoisted for an execution.

Itachi paused. I twisted to the side and brought my foot up to strike his injured leg. With a cry of pain, he lost his footing.

My muscles protested. A spike of metal lengthened in my hand as I twisted over his falling figure. This was wrong… I stabbed with all my strength.

The tip halted inches away from his skin. His arms were locked against mine, bearing my weight. His face reddened with the effort, exhausted muscles trembling. The metal sharpened into a longer point.

We locked eyes.

I felt guilty. He was no villain. All Itachi ever wanted was to save his brother, and was willing to give up his life for it. No, he had already sacrificed it. His eyes were dead, moving only to complete his mission.

I had taken his little brother, giving him up to a fate even Itachi feared. Now, I was going to away his life. What exit strategy could justify murder? Why did I have the right to take his life?

A soft smile replaced his grimace. The Uchiha's eyes closed… and re-opened to reveal a three-bladed pinwheel. The Mangekyou Sharingan.

I jumped off him in panic, tip of the spear drawing blood.

Itachi swayed to a standing position. Pain was visible in every one of his movements. Thick rivulets ran from his eyes. His smile faltered.

"Itachi…" My voice was hoarse. "You don't have to do this."

"It is my duty. I must save Sasuke." he answered with supernatural calm.

"There must be another way-"

"No!" He paused, repressing a cough. Fresh blood wet his lips.

"You don't understand. Tsunade won't kill Sasuke."

"_You_ don't understand, Earth ninja!" -cough- "This village... you've only seen one face. It has its own shadows, and certain events cannot be ignored." A drop of blood splashed on his fist. "Sasuke's sentence is death… and leave it to Danzo to have it carried out." His grin was chilling. "The Uchiha's eyes are worth as much dead or alive. And _many_ would do anything to get them."

The last standing Uchiha straightened his back, stretching his wounds without complaint. He rose to his full height, two fingers forming half a seal. A hundred and fifteen meters away, hidden behind a tree trunk, three cylinders aligned themselves with the shinobi.

I didn't want to do this. This wasn't the story's antagonist, far from it. His intentions… were pure. Too good to be the villain descibed in my files.

"Then why, Itachi, why kill your clan, abandon your brother and join the Akatsuki?!"

His head dipped in… regret? "I did what I had to do."

There was a moment's pause. Everything was still. Leaves twirled lazily in the moonlight and a single crow rose towards the moon.

"To protect him."

His eyes flashed. Black flames appeared on my shoulder. I felt the earpiece buzz from a strong magnetic pulse, followed by an explosion akin to a gunshot. A tree toppled, split in half by the linear cannon. There was a tearing sound, then a wet thud. The black flames disappeared.

Itachi was dead.

A pang of guilt gripped my heart as the body crumpled forward. His head struck the ground, motionless.

I knew I had to verify his death. I knew I had to check his pulse, then cut his throat or stab his heart if I felt something. Shikamaru had told me as much. Deep down, I wished he was still alive.

I crept closer, metal spear held shakily. A patch of glistening liquid surrounded a fist-sized hole in his back. Blood trickled out; his heart had stopped beating for sure. Tears blurred my vision. I wiped them away hastily with a sweaty palm.

My feet took me towards Sakura.

* * *

The pink-haired kunoichi's battle had been cut short with the disappearance of the bunshin. A small fire now burned in a devastated clearing, illuminated her battered skin.

I landed just as she finished securing Sasuke's arms and legs with rope.

"Kenobi!"

I smiled. The usual happiness from being around her was being dulled by the coldness in my heart, but it was still there. Her eyes ran up and down my body with a concentrated frown. Her breath hitched when she noticed the bruises, cuts, burns, nail marks, embedded splinters and broken ribs. Without a word, she pushed me down against a tree trunk and made her hand glow.

* * *

"Ouch! Be careful!"

"Stop being a crybaby."

Sakura threw the shard of wood aside and closed the skin. She moved on to the next one, gestures precise and without hesitation. What worried me though was her absent-mindedness. Her thoughts were clearly elsewhere, and I could guess why.

"Sakura…"

"Shut up, I need to concentrate for this."

Her fingers prodded my lower chest, inspecting the floating ribs. They had been neatly snapped in half at their weakest point. Itachi sure knew where to hit.

Itachi…

"You didn't feel anything?" she asked, surprised.

"Oh, sorry. Owwww!"

Her lips moved in silent curses. I could see she was having difficulty healing; most likely she was exhausted. Not too happy with herself either. I sighed and put my hand over hers.

She looked up, startled.

"It's enough for now; rest." Her brows furrowed. I tightened my grip. Reluctantly, she ended the healing technique and slumped next to me, back against the tree.

The light from the fire was softer than the green glow from her palm, giving her a warm, peachy glow. Despite the bruises, singed hair and dried blood on her cheek, I found her beautiful.

"What's troubling you?" I asked with concern. She picked a twig and began twirling it between her fingers.

"Nothing."

"You can't fool me, Sakura." She scowled. "I know something's wrong. Tell me what it is and I'll help you… as always."

The kunoichi gave me a penetrating look, as if she could see my soul. The twig snapped.

"I failed. He was too strong, too fast, he read every one of my moves and nothing hit him. Even a Bunshin was better than me." she growled. Her fist was trembled with rage. "I tried _everything_. You see that?" She pointed to a row of slanted trees, nothing left of the lower end other than shredded wood. "It wasn't enough. He beat me even when I gave it my best. Instead of continuing the fight, he just disappeared… I'm just empty words. I haven't improved at all from when I was a useless genin."

A hollow smile twisted her lips. She released a cloud of wood dust from her fist. I shut my jaw. I was astonished… and slightly scared. Astonished that she held such thoughts despite her vow to stand up and believe in herself, and frightened at having misread her. What if I had judged others wrongly too?

"I-"

"Of course you'd never say it, Kenobi. You're too sweet for that. I just have to realize on my own that-"

"I was going to say you sucked."

She gasped in shock. "You…"

"It's true. You're determined to stop being protected and fight for yourself, but your techniques aren't enough. These last two weeks, I've been trying to get you to train with me."

She hung her head. "I thought-"

"I know you thought I was asking for a date… but Sakura, you're not just a pretty girl I want to take to dinner. There's m-more to it than that."

Damn. I'd lost it at the end. Even I couldn't keep a straight face while saying things like that. Buzzing and chirrups filled the growing silence. Sakura's hair hid her face.

Finally, she spoke in a small voice. "You'll train me?"

I nodded, heart pounding. "I know something that could work for you. Plus, I need moving target practice."

"As soon as you're healed then."

I grinned. She gave me the most beautiful smile in the world. Flustered, I got up and walked over to Sasuke. Anything to stop the urge to whoop with joy.

"Why tie him up?" I asked with the most neutral voice I could manage at the moment.

Sakura followed me. "His consciousness has been sealed and chakra shut down. The jutsu could wear off though, so I took precautions."

"Hm."

I removed my cloak, handing it to her. "We better get going before they send a search party." I said. I bent down and lifted the body. The Uchiha was light for his age.

"Ok. Why give me this though?" the kunoichi asked.

I closed my eyes, preparing to filter a surge in pain signals. Slowly, I lifted a finger and pointed at her chest. A large rip ran diagonally from her shoulder, nearly revealing a full breast.

She looked down. She became very very still.

While I couldn't feel the punch, I could hear the bone creak through my head.

* * *

We landed in front of the village gates.

Two bonfires on each side illuminated the surroundings, each circled by four ninjas wielding radios. A messenger hawk screeched overhead.

"Wait."

Sakura faced me, questioning. Carefully, I unloaded the body from my shoulder and handed it to her. She placed it on my cloak, draped around her shoulders.

"You take it."

Her mouth moved to ask why but one of the guards spotted us and beckoned us to come closer. I had my reasons. A rogue ninja from another village handling the body of the last Uchiha outside of the village walls would raise suspicion, at the very least.

Soon, we were surrounded by ninjas wearing the Konoha headband. Our identities were checked after inspecting photographs of our faces in a think leather-bound book. There was a frenzy of activity when we revealed the identity of the body.

We entered the village escorted nonetheless by two special jounin.

Villagers crowded the main street. Cheers rose when Sasuke was identified and the crowd quickly grew. I wasn't used to being cheered.

Sakura reacted oddly. Instead of embarrassment or happiness from receiving such attention, she trembled in anger, fists clenched.

"The Uchiha is back!"

I activated her earpiece. "Sakura." I whispered. "Calm down! What's gotten into you?!"

The pink-haired kunoichi marched ahead, scattering citizens and shinobi alike. I hurried to follow her. Seconds later, she halted.

Amongst a circle of onlookers was the Hokage herself. Six ANBU guarded her. Something was wrong. Her demeanor was unusual, her expression something I couldn't read. She avoided my gaze yet stared in my direction defiantly. My heartbeat accelerated: I was in enough trouble already for fighting within the village… maybe if I explained what happened with Itachi, she would-

Danzo stepped out from behind an ANBU guard.

My heart skipped a beat. His voice, deep and commanding despite his age, silenced the crowd.

"Congratulations for returning the Uchiha to the village. Sakura Haruno, you will get the appropriate reward for your service to the village."

Sakura was far from enjoying the praise. Slowly, the man turned to me.

"As for you, _traitor_, lay down your weapons immediately."

I looked at the Hokage. She lifted her chin, arms crossed.

"I have none." I said.

The older man narrowed his eyes, the flicked a finger discreetly. The jounin behind me locked my hands behind my back before I felt him move. He twisted my wrist until I was pushed to my knees. The crowd watched, wary. Tsunade shifted uneasily.

Danzo's voice echoed once again, cold and menacing. "Maki Kenobi is hereby accused of theft, assault, violation of Shinobi rules of Conduct, violation of direct orders from the Hokage, violation of conditions of the treaty signed with the Hokage… and the murder of twenty three Konoha ninja."

A triumphant smile spread over his face.

"The sentence is death."


	19. Part 6: Suspect

**Exit Strategy** by Crackalive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

Things aren't so merry back in the village.

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**PART 6:**

**I-SUSPECT**

Even the villagers dared not speak a word.

I was stunned. Questions raced through my head: Sentenced to death? _Twenty three_ ninjas? _How did he find out_?!

Danzo's lips twisted further, leering. With his walking stick, he pointed at me accusingly. His speech was directed at the Hokage however.

"This is the result of accepting foreign ninjas amongst our ranks! The peace our ancestors paid for in blood has made our leaders weak. Now we welcome spies and murderers with open arms!" Our audience missed the elder man's triumphant grin, for all eyes were on Tsunade. "I have proof that he wormed his way into our village using your own ambiguous past… With all due respect, Fifth Hokage, who did you consult when taking this decision?"

Tsunade's eyebrows twitched in a nervous tick.

"I thought so. If only the Council had heeded my warnings… maybe we would have had a strong and worthy _man_ holding that position."

Murmurs erupted amongst the villagers. It seemed Danzo wasn't the only one with doubts about Tsunade's competence.

"Care to explain why you allowed such filth to bribe his way in?" He looked around, seeking an answer from his audience. "Did he use your relationship with your past teammate… Orochimaru?"

Audible gasps could be heard this time. In the corner of my eye, Sakura glared at the one berating her sensei.

"I guess that part of your past hasn't been buried as well as we have been led to-"

"ENOUGH!"

The ground fissured at the Hokage's feet, the sound like snapping bones echoing down the now silent street. The younger bystanders trembled with fear, while the older ones tried to hide their nervousness. I smiled grimly.

"Another word from you and I'll put you in chains for defamation. Know your place!" she spat. Lifting her chin, the woman glared at the circle of villagers. "I took those decisions using my authority as Hokage. Those were military matters and therefore uncontestable!"

She pointed at me. "I'll be damned if I condemn a citizen of Konoha for defending himself during an attack! The violations of our contract are excused."

Danzo's hands tightened on his walking stick. It was obvious that he had confronted the Hokage publicly to sway the villagers to his side… Tsunade blatantly disregarding his accusations was unexpected though… or had she planned it?

The Hokage lowered her voice. "The accusations of theft and murder will have to be answered though."

I shuddered, mind racing to find an answer.

Danzo didn't miss the opportunity to regain his audience. "Answered _now_, so that we may all hear. I have here ten ninjas here who can testify that _you_ were the perpetrator."

A hundred pairs of eyes bored into me, expectant. A slip-up would cost me my life.

"C-Could… Who have I killed?" I asked.

The elder took a scroll handed to him from a member of his guard. He read out loud.

"Three messengers headed to Tsuchigakure, three undercover agents headed for Earth Country, four Special Jonin, twelve prison guards during an escape attempt and a genin." He raised his eyebrows. "All evidence points towards an agent working for our enemies."

That was impossible... Unless the bastard was using me to cover up his own dealings. It was no use denying…

"I admit to killing four Special Jonin, no-one else."

The crowd burst into an uproar, slander against Tsunade drowned by cries of murder and traitor. A smaller voice resounded in my ear.

"Is it true?" Sakura transmitted. My gut twisted, all my fears of rejection converging in that instant.

"Yes."

Silence.

Coldness speared my chest.

Maybe I was just a murderer. Those people didn't have to die; I was just making up excuses as I went along. What did she think of me now? My nails dug into my palms. Sweat broke on my forehead as I started to feel sick. Then…

"I trust you."

Her hushed but firm voice was stronger in my ears than the shouts of hundreds of villagers. My eyes stung with tears I could not afford to let loose.

"T-Thank you." I answered shakily. "They tried to kill me."

"Tell me later. Danzo's looking at you."

Courage filled my veins, a warmness that allowed me to regain my composure and push away dark thoughts of rejection and imprisonment. Looking up, I returned the one-eyed stare with equal intensity.

"SHUT UP!"

New cracks in the ground frightened the villagers into submission. A vein pulsated on the blonde Hokage's forehead. Naruto landed on the roof on the opposite side of the street.

Using the silence, I spoke in the most audible voice I could manage. It was hard to sound convincing while I was on my knees, restrained by an ANBU. "I am aware of a prisoner escaping the prison complex, resulting in many deaths… the incident took place before I arrived."

The crowd quieted, many still glaring suspiciously.

"I know there have been shinobi killed on the route to Earth Country, but…I have never been outside of the village without surveillance."

I shifted to face the closest group of Konoha citizens, amongst whom I recognized two prominent merchants. "I have not stolen anything."

This time I faced Tsunade herself. "The four ninjas I killed had orders to eliminate me. I acted in self defense! I have proof that they were agents under the orders of D-"

"KENOBI!"

The air rippled from Tsunade's shout. She breathed in slowly to calm her rage. I quelled a tremble in my arms.

"If there have been deaths of Konoha ninja, then it is subject to martial law. This cannot be discussed out in the public…" Her eyes burned down a row a villagers. "Present your arguments in court! Now piss off, all of you!"

The crowd scattered faster than it had appeared. I felt the chakra emanate from the Hokage, bright and deadly.

Danzo however, was not impressed by such theatrics.

"Yes." he said. "That would be a case to be presented in front of the Council."

He tapped the ground once with his stick. The masked ninja tightened his grip and lifted me to my feet. With a push, he moved me towards one of Danzo's personal guard. Fear gripped me as a set of chains appeared in his hands. The _Council_. The same group of men who had signed my death warrant once already.

A commanding voice halted my handler.

"He is to be put under my custody until judgment."

Danzo narrowed his eyes at his rival. "The Council handles cases such as these. This includes detainment of suspects."

Tsunade cocked her head to the side, a nasty grin sprouting on her lips. "But not active ninja assigned to an on-going mission."

I frowned. Sakura filled in helpfully. "A ninja has a two week delay before he must return to the village if recalled while on a mission. It allows us to find replacement ninja without jeopardizing the contract."

I silently thanked her, feeling calmer knowing that she had my back.

"Maki is not on any mission listed on-"

Tsunade cut him off. "It's not on a list. S-ranked mission under my _personal_ supervision."

The elder man's expression gave way to a scowl. He had lost the power struggle for now, and without an audience, it would be useless to attack the Hokage personally again. An orange clad ninja landed silently behind us.

"What S-ranked mission?" a slightly envious voice asked.

Tsunade's tick returned while Danzo's expression brightened. Naruto could be such an idiot at times. All eyes shifted to her.

"Naruto, your training is an S-ranked mission. I've added Kenobi to it. Now be off with you." she said through gritted teeth.

His blue eyes wandered over to Sakura, frowned at the body she was carrying, then frowned deeper when he noticed me. The light reflected from the blazing torches gave the impression he was glowing.

"Err, Tsunade, Kakashi and I don't really need Kenobi to-"

"Naruto!" she snapped. "This is an order. You're going to take Kenobi with you to the training ground prepared for you, _right now_. Got it?"

"But I just returned for a two day leave!"

"No if, no but!" The Hokage glared at the ANBU holding me. My arms were liberated in an instant. "Kenobi, follow him and return when I tell you to."

I got up, dusting my knees.

"Yes, Hokage." I said. I had enough of being a pawn in their political games. Danzo shot me a poisonous glance before turning and disappearing along with his guards.

Naruto's earpiece was still in place. I activated it, giving a final glance to Sakura.

"Go. Stop at the edge of the village."

* * *

We landed on the village walls. The guards gave us an inquisitive look before recognizing who the orange jumpsuit belonged to.

"Ok, what now?" he cried. "Tell me what is going on!"

I sighed. It was dark, and I was dirty, tired and hungry.

"Naruto… I'll explain everything to you."

He crossed his arms. "I'm listening."

"… if you follow me somewhere."

"What the heck! Tsunade told us to leave the village!" Naruto shouted over the wind.

"She didn't say immediately. Plus…" I walked over to the edge of the wall and dangled a foot past it. "I just left the village."

Naruto narrowed his eyes before a mischievous grin spread over his face. He must _like_ disobeying Tsunade, I thought.

"Fine. This better be worth it."

* * *

A few minutes later, we landed in front of a wide, rectangular building with two distinct entrances. I shifted my shoulders under the weight of a heavy waterproof backpack and started walking.

"Hey, Kenobi! Wait up."

I gave him a weary glance and turned to circle around the building.

"Oi! Tell me where you're going. You got another one of those bags to collect?"

"Hn."

Naruto was obviously frustrated by my lack of response. Most of the reasoning behind it was that I was too damn tired to explain everything then try and convince him to come along. The second argument was that I enjoyed dragging him around in his ignorance, like a little puppy.

I arrived at a service entrance at the back, nearly invisible in the darkness. A tiny magnetic field pulled back the bolt, allowing the door to swing inside. I stepped in and held the door for Naruto. The blond was frozen on the spot.

"K-k-kenobi whatareyoudoing?!"

"Hm? Oh this?" I gestured to the shadowy interior. "I'm taking a bath."

"B-but that's trespassing. It's… illegal!" He looked around nervously. "Get out before someone sees you!"

I sighed and dropped my hand from the doorknob. "Naruto, I am right when I say that you were training with Kakashi and given a break in the village, which why you're here?"

He nodded glumly. "Yeah but-"

"Well, I've been fighting Itachi" -"ITACHI?"- "all day long and I want some rest too." -"IS THAT WHY EVERYONE IS ON ALERT?"- "Danzo-bastard and his clique held me up till late, and now the bathhouse is closed."

Naruto was wide-eyed in shock, jaw gaping. I stared at him impassively.

"I'm going to have the bath I'm entitled to. Now if you'll excuse me…"

I turned around and marched inside, removing my cloak. Finding the switch, I stuck it closed magnetically. The lights flickered on.

"Ummm Naruto, you're going to stand there or come inside and hear the rest of the story?"

The blond shook himself and followed me, glaring.

* * *

I slowly lowered my body into the steaming water. The sensation on the recently scrubbed skin was bliss. I closed my eyes and rested my head on the edge of the pool.

Naruto splashed naked in next to me.

"So, Kenobi! Are you going to tell me now?"

I cracked open an eyelid and watched him bounce impatiently in the water. His blue eyes shone brightly in the flickering light of an oil lamp.

"Later."

He pouted and swam to the opposite side. I let out a long breath and willed my body to sleep.

* * *

The third wave of water was high enough to send a few drops of liquid up my nose and down my airways. Without warning, I was pulled out of my digital space and back into my body. I suppressed the urge to cough and splutter, preferring to glare at the offender.

Naruto sent another wave in my direction, amused grin plastered on his face.

"Ha, _now_ that you're awake, will you explain everything like you promised?"

I calmed myself before I started spouting insults that had yet to be invented in this reality.

"Fine. I will."

His eyes widened in anticipation. "Really?"

"Only if you let me finish my bath afterwards."

The blond nodded excitedly and swam closer. I saved my work outside the simulation, grumbling. I was at the verge of making a breakthrough in translating the codes.

"So where to start-"

"Itachi!"

"Okay, okay. So, Itachi." I cleared my throat. "Itachi found out his brother was captured, so fearing his execution and the sharingan being stolen, he returned to Konoha to save him. He tried infiltrating the village using genjutsu until he fell on me and Shikamaru."

"Was he-"

"Pure coincidence, I assure you. We fought, Shikamaru was knocked out and I managed to survive thanks to timely reinforcements."

Naruto frowned worriedly at his fellow ninja's name; I reassured him by waving my hand dismissively. He urged me to continue.

"Having been found out, he gave up on stealth and fought his way to the prison complex. After retrieving Sasuke, he-"

"Wait a minute. He _fought_ his way through?"

"Ah yes. He faced like fifty ninja alone, tore through a residential area and ripped the prison open to get to the underground chambers. He did use Amaterasu as a distraction though…"

Naruto's face blanched.

"Oh, don't worry. No-one died."

The blond frowned at this. "Is that even possible?"

"I'm not sure about the injuries, but that's what they told Sakura when we returned from the forest."

He cocked his head in curiosity. "Wait a minute. What were you doing in the forest with Sakura?"

I smirked. Naruto waited patiently for an answer before blushing furiously and looking away. Spot on with the dirty mind, I mused.

"Sakura and I followed Itachi after he escaped and retrieved Sasuke."

"You did? Wow! Itachi's an S-ranked wanted ninja, so he's super strong!"

I talked quickly. "He was exhausted after the his battle in the village, so I killed him then returned to the village and Danzo tried to lock me up so Tsunade sent me away."

Naruto's expression went from admirative to confused to grim.

"So that's what it was all about… from what I've seen, Danzo has a thing against you. He accused you of breaking a contract…?"

I removed the towel from my head. My hair instantly fell in front of my eyes. "Yeah," I said. "I wasn't allowed to carry a weapon or leave the company of my guardian, Shikamaru at the time, disobey orders, leave the village… suspicious foreigner and all that. Tsunade said it was okay so nothing to worry about." I gave him a smile. The way he looked at me was unnerving. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

I slid under the water, relieved. My heart was beating faster than I had commanded it to. Thankfully, Naruto hadn't heard about-

Powerful fingers latched onto my neck and pulled me to the surface. The water slid over my eyes to reveal Naruto, teeth bared and seething in anger.

"You too, huh? Think I'm stupid? I heard the other accusation." His grip tightened. "You killed Konoha ninja. You were arrogant enough to admit it publicly. Unlike Tsunade, I can't let that pass." he snarled. "So why did you do it?"

I stared into his eyes, sky blue with the lamp reflected as a bright spot. By how much had I misread him? I had taken him for an idiot, blindly loyal to his village yet easily mislead, in other words, perfect bait for the Akatsuki. But now…

"Answer me!"

Naruto trusted me, otherwise he wouldn't get so angry. Maybe, just this time, I didn't have to deceive him.

"Why did you kill-"

"The ninja…" He released my throat, still glaring. "They died because they were sent to kill _me_."

His eyes narrowed. "Really?"

"Tsunade knows about this. My assassins… are ROOT agents."

"And who are they?" he asked, anger slowly replaced by curiosity.

I smirked. "Danzo's men."

Naruto's eyes widened as he placed his hands on his head, shaking it. "That oldie… Why does he want to kill you?" A slippery hand grasped my shoulder. "Why didn't you tell us people were trying to kill you?"

The killer stare had all but disappeared, replaced with concern. It was touching.

"Kenobi, I know you're from another country, and we haven't spent much time together. But you're on Team 7… we're your friends. We'll protect you if you tell us what is going on."

I looked into his eyes. He was sincere. A true ally… that I probably didn't deserve. My voice held an unrepressed quiver.

"Tsunade told me not tell anyone."

"Not your teammates! You should tell us your problems, and we'll promise to help you solve them." He gave me his trademark confident grin. "That's what a team's for!"

I smiled too. "Okay. From now on, I'll tell you two everything."

"Ha!"

With a thumbs up, he slid under the water and swam to the opposite edge. I let out a breath I had been holding. It was unnerving how the boy could get under my skin and simply find-

A wet mass of blond hair rose from the pool a meter ahead of me. It was followed by a grim face.

"Does Sakura know?" he asked calmly.

"I-I-"

Naruto's blue eyes pierced right through me. I looked down to avoid his gaze. I had promised to tell him the truth after all. I hadn't planned this; it was hard to plan anything involving Naruto.

"I don't want her to see me as a murderer."

I couldn't see his reaction, but the water rippled when he got closer.

"I know her. She's stronger than you think. We're all shinobi." He clenched his fist above the water. "We're trained to kill to protect ourselves and our village."

I smiled meekly and gently pushed him outside of my private space. When I looked up, his eyes were narrowed mischievously. "I've seen her." he said. "You're special to her… she isn't going to give up on you because you defended yourself."

His smile turned sinister.

"Are you two dating?"

"No."

"Ah I see." Naruto slid away. I could detect a certain sadness in him. "How long have you-"

"Naruto." I interrupted. "It's between me and her."

"Ah. Yes. Sorry. Emm…" He scratched the back of his head, then promptly slid under the water.

I relaxed back against the wall, rubbing my neck. Naruto… he readily gave his trust to me, and expected me to do the same. I checked the level of oil in the lamp. A patrol using genjutsu to hide would pass by the area in an hour and might find a light inside a closed bathhouse suspicious.

"Hey, Naruto!"

Bubbles rose to the surface. I activated his earpiece. "Naruto, get up."

The blond exploded to the surface, scratching at his ear.

"IS THIS THING STILL INSIDE?!"

"Shut up! We'll be heard!"

He closed his jaw, breathing heavily through his nose while trying to push a finger down his ear canal.

"Listen." Naruto thrashed in the water. "LISTEN."

"Whaaaaaat? Get this off me!"

"Later. I have a question" -"Remove the thing NOW!"- "SHUT UP! Are you going to get between me and Sakura or NOT?!"

He froze and stared at me. That was _not_ the delivery I had counted on.

"OH YES I WILL!"

Dark glare. Burrowed brow and clenched fists. I hadn't expected him to react this strongly.

"If you make her sad, I'll make sure you never see her again." He pointed a finger at me and stepped closer. "If you make her cry I'll _rip you apart_. And if you break her heart like Sasuke did, I'll-"

"Good."

He stepped back in surprise, pulling back his arm. His finger had left a curved cut on my chest. I acted calm, added a slight smile.

"That is what I wanted to hear. I know you'll protect her. I just had to make sure you wouldn't get jealous."

He frowned angrily. "Jealous? Why would I be?"

It was my turn to frown. "You've known each other for years. I know that you had a crush on her, and have been trying to get her unsuccessfully for quite some time…"

"Ha ha haaaa..." he laughed, far from sincerely. "No I'm not jealous. I understood a long time ago we're just friends."

"Then all the things you do-"

"PRANKS! Heh heh, number 1 prankster in Konoha."

I eyed him but stopped before he felt too uncomfortable. The Uzumaki scratched his head nervously. Well, I thought. Everyone is trying to convince himself of something, even Naruto. This one's real thoughts are just easier to read.

The silence lengthened.

"Emm, Kenobi."

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Those scars on your arms… how did you get cut in lines like that?"

I raised my elbow to reveal a set of parallel circles running from elbow to wrist. "These?" Naruto nodded.

"Well you see, when I first tried the wires, the ones I removed in the changing room, I had wound them directly on the skin, and…"

* * *

The night sky twinkled above, stars crystal clear.

I jumped off the branch and rolled to look above. The air was cold, so there was very little distortion, and with none of the usual smoke or dust from a nearby city… it felt like I was in space.

Memories rushed through my brain. Memories of the first time I had inhabited a human body and looked out of a viewport. The signals sent by physical eyes, translated by a real brain into a hazy knowledge of what I was looking at… it was so different from the definite facts I had grown up with in a digital body. The difference was lost in this simulation.

I had friends I could count on here. But… it wasn't the real thing.

Damn I want to get out of here.

"Hey Kenobi, speed up!" Naruto called, ahead of me by two jumps.

I huffed and pushed off the next branch.


	20. Part 6: Life and Death

**Exit Strategy** by Crackalive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

Yamato is one of the characters that I found under-developed in canon. So much can be done with him, and yet he is restricted to being occasional comic relief. I hope this chapter does some justice to him.

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**PART 6:**

**II- LIFE AND DEATH**

Eyes open.

Command/Recover. Command/Execute last, allocate 98%. Running.

Remove covers, slide to edge of bed and stand up. Turn on shower hot water tap magnetically. Move to sink. Brush teeth. Discard clothing, fold. Slide door, step in. Command/New/Programs/Shower, version 4. Running.

Process completed. Repeat Y/N? N. Continue? Y.

Step out of shower, dry with towel then place towel over chair. Walk to closet, pick up four clean rolls of cloth. Wind over limbs. Overlay with metal wire. Attach arm and knee guards. Complete outfit with shirt, underwear, trousers, socks, sandals.

Walk to door. Unhook cloak.

Error message: Program " " failed to complete. You do not have the required authorization to modify destination files. Do you wish- End Y/N? Y.

Command/New/Programs/Kenobi. Use saved settings Y/N?

Y.

* * *

I walked down the wooden stairs and found Kakashi already sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying his coffee with his mask on. He waved his Icha-Icha as a sign of greeting.

"Good morning."

He hunched his back and stared intently at his literature.

I shrugged and walked over to the counter, making the wooden floorboards creak. Kitchen ustensils started moving around me, metal bending to hold, pour and break. Soon, I was toasting bread dripping with milk and egg yolk. I ate several slices as soon as they were ready, stuffing the rest into a bag for Naruto. He usually skipped breakfast to get to the training field as early as possible. Kakashi flipped a page of his little orange book.

"Hey, Kakashi, I'm going to deliver these to Naruto. Want one?"

He turned his head left and right slowly, picking up his mug.

"Well then… till later." I said, sighing.

I stepped out onto the dirt path leading away from the wooden house. The silver-haired jounin hadn't uttered a word for the fifth morning in a row. I guessed he didn't like me very much.

I suddenly shivered. The days were getting warmer but the mornings were still frosty. With one last glance at the grey sky, I started walking.

* * *

A few minutes later, I was sitting on my usual spot; a grassy patch on top of a short hill. My back was against a thick metal cylinder, two meters tall and weighing nearly six tons. Iron was inexpensive but that amount had cost me all of my mission pay.

In front of me was a wavy meadow. The grass was scarred and pitted with craters, with jagged rock piercing the surface in uneven ridges. Here was where I would stay for another ten days.

Here was situated forty kilometers from Konoha, isolated from the outside world by a series of complex barriers Yamato hadn't divulged much information on. It was a convenient place for testing secret jutsu and keeping certain techniques hidden from sight.

On this chilly morning, it was occupied by two other persons: Naruto Uzumaki and Yamato. At the center of ring of wooden pillars a hundred meters away, a young blond teenager faced his sensei. Both sat cross-legged, meditating. Preferring not to interrupt their concentration, I imitated them and put the mass of metal behind me to good use.

* * *

Without hurry, the sun crept up the sky and banished the chilliness of the air. Judging by the angle of the shadows my cylinder casted, two hours had passed.

I got up and stretched my limbs. Pale rays of light filtered through the treetops and illuminated the wooden house far to my right. It was ugly. Yamato had no taste in architecture. My attention switched to Naruto. Now that the lighting was better, I could make out the air shimmering around him and the occasional dry leaf catching fire. Around… now they would begin.

The ANBU captain uncrossed his legs and stood up in one smooth motion. Stepping forward, he tapped Naruto's shoulder with his single remaining hand. The blond opened his eyes, nodded and got up in turn. I collapsed my magnetic fields to watch unhindered. Massaging my numb fingers, I peered ahead. Yamato had jumped out of the ring of pillars. A wooden arm filled in his empty sleeve and disappeared underground. Naruto seemed tense, walking in circles.

Yamato gave a thumbs up. Naruto stood still. The lightshow began.

Red chakra bubbled out of his skin. It oozed out of his mouth and ears, poured down his sleeves and trousers, burst out of blisters. Naruto twisted in agony, dropping to his knees silently. The demonic chakra quickly took shape, enveloping its host and transforming him into the likeness of the Kyuubi. His lips turned black, soon pierced by growing fangs. His blond hair grew and rose into jagged, dirty spikes. From his previous attempts, I knew that behind his closed eyelids were slitted retinae.

The complete transformation took a painful minute and a half. When Naruto stood up, ethereal ears rose over his head, and two tails swung behind him.

Naruto grinned and waved at me. I waved back, holding up the bag that contained the breakfast he skipped. My fists were clenched though, my gut twisted. His toothy grin hid a great deal of pain. I could only imagine what the tailed beast within him whispered to him. In comparison, the pain I felt from using my own magnetic powers seemed pathetic. In fact, my latest techniques had the ability to completely suppress any drawbacks from using my magnetic powers, all while removing any limits to their potency. It made me feel slightly guilty.

A spike of killer intent froze my body before Naruto regained control. I let out a ragged breath. The presence I had felt… was truly that of a demon. It was a burning, evil promise of death that surpassed in depth whatever I had felt in Orochimaru's vicinity. Yamato relaxed and sat back down.

The ground rumbled. The metal behind me vibrated, creaking from the massive magnetic field it contained. I felt Kakashi appear behind me. He never got close if he could avoid it.

The dust raised by the miniature earthquake was now being shredded apart by gusts of wind twisting around Naruto. A red glow illuminated the field, covering it in blood and shadows. It subsided to reveal three tails hanging over the jinchuuriki. The chakra around him blazed like a raging fire now.

I tightened my fists, waiting for the next step. Come on, Naruto. You said you could do it, I thought. I gave a quick glance behind me. Kakashi was crouching on top of a split boulder, sharingan activated and spinning. I wondered if behind his calm demeanor, he too was encouraging his student.

I turned to look at Naruto. A second set of chakra-suppressing pillars rose around him in anticipation of the four-tailed state. Kakashi and Yamato had worked out that it was the largest amount of the Kyuubi's chakra Naruto could safely control with the special training they had devised.

Seconds dragged on. The wind died down. Naruto was staring at his feet, back hunched. I sighed. Despite the transformations and demonic chakra, Naruto was still a teenager. Something was holding him back.

My mind wandered to our talk before we left the village. With a sudden resolve, I stood up and marched towards a true friend.

* * *

Naruto noticed my approach. He looked up wide eyed and immediately waved for me to leave.

"Kenobi, what are you doing?!" he cried. "Get away from me! It's dangerous!"

I continued my march, stepping over patches of blackened grass. Naruto swung his clawed hands and shouted louder.

"Get out of here! You could get hurt!"

My steps followed each other.

"Kenobi… I could hurt you if you get closer." I heard the desperate tone of his voice, saw the fearful look in his red eyes but didn't stop. "Please Kenobi, I don't want to hurt you. Please…"

I stepped into the circle. Naruto gave a pleading look at Yamato, then Kakashi in the distance, before staring at shock when I drew up to him. Scorching wind buffeted my cloak and I could feel the heat on my skin. Before I closed the gap, one of Naruto's chakra tails disappeared and the wind died down.

"Naruto."

"Kenobi… please…"

"Quit your whining!" I ordered. "Tell me, Naruto, why won't you go further?"

The jinchuuriki clenched his jaw shut, once again staring at his feet. Malicious chakra swirled lazily around him. Exuberant, reckless, funny… he was none of those things right now. To me, it felt _wrong_. Worry changed my voice to a softer tone, which I hid with a sneer.

"I know why." I poked him in the chest. Metal flowed smoothly over my finger to protect it. "You're scared."

I didn't get the desired reaction. Instead of loudly boasting about how he would overcome any problem, Naruto simply absorbed the taunt, shoulders slumping. I sighed.

"Listen to me, Naruto." He didn't look up. After covering my hand in iron, I gripped his shoulder. "I know why you won't go further. I now know what happened."

His eyes met mine. Tears of frustration and pent-up guilt evaporated as soon as they formed.

"You went four tails before… and fell under the Kyuubi's influence. You cut down Sakura and poisoned Yamato's arm with your chakra when he tried to bring you back. Sasuke… he was found half dead. When you went four tails, you couldn't distinguish between friend and foe, so you attacked everyone in sight." Naruto trembled, closing his eyes and looking away in shame. "No, look at me."

I pushed on his shoulder to make him face me. All I could see was the top of his head. Naruto had injured the very people he had dedicated his life to protecting… and it affected him visibly.

"You're ashamed, aren't you?" Naruto shuddered. "The moment you returned from the mission, you begged Kakashi to help you master the demon inside you. He told me when I got here. This place… suited you. Far away from me and Sakura. That way we'd never accuse you of losing control of the Kyuubi and attacking us, right?"

Strangely, I was happy that he cringed at those words. It meant I could still read him correctly. I shook his shoulder. It was time to make the problem become a solution. "What's stopping you from going further is your fear of hurting us. Naruto… I want you to think of what could have happened if you did not use the Kyuubi's power."

I let the words sink in. His brow creased.

"If you had fought harder to control it, Sakura and I would not have been harmed. No, we'd be dead."

Naruto turned very still. His head rose mechanically. I stared into wide, apprehensive eyes.

"What you should be scared of is the result of _not _using the Kyuubi. If anything, we're _thankful _that you saved us with it."

The jinchuuriki gaped, disbelieving. He didn't look like he was confused… it was as if he had received a revelation. "Y-you mean it?" he stammered.

I took a step back. "The Kyuubi inside of you is not a demon to be feared. It is a tool for you to master. Speaking for myself and Sakura, I can say that we are thankful that you can use it. Yamato…"

Both of us turned to the ANBU captain. Dark eyes gazed cooly at us, before his head bent forward in a silent bow. Naruto was shaken. "I-I-… I didn't think-"

"No, you didn't think." It humor was lost on Naruto.

"Should I-"

"Take my own advice on dealing with problems by speaking to your friends? Yes, I think you should do that."

A hint of a smile appeared on his black lips.

"Now then, if you've given up on sulking alone, I'll be going back to my training." I grinned. "Oh, and please control yourself better than last time when using four tails. Yamato doesn't want to lose any other limbs."

Naruto gave a short, uneasy laugh. Much of the guilt and shame was gone though; I now saw stubborn determination in his eyes again. To my left, Yamato cast daggers with his eyes.

I turned around and walked away. The heat behind me grew in intensity, and the wind picked up.

"Hey Kenobi!"

Naruto had called me just before I left the circle. I glanced over my shoulder. Naruto was beaming with confidence, legs spread, one hand on hip and the other forming a clawed thumbs-up.

"Just watch me!" he cried.

Metal pooled at my feet and hardened into a levitating platform. I flew away with a smile on my lips.

* * *

Immediately after entering a cluster of trees, I dropped off and retched.

The Kyuubi's chakra lingered inside of me. It was a vile presence, an acid that burned my muscles and overturned my stomach. I wiped my mouth and looked under my shirt. The centimeter-thick strips of metal running over my chest had done nothing to stop the chakra from going right through.

I stood up and started walking while I waited for it to disperse. I felt a twinge of empathy for Yamato. He had felt the same pain for days as the Kyuubi's chakra had infiltrated the chakra coils in his arm and poisoned his body. I was thankful to have none.

A twig snapped under my feet. Thick, ancient trees towered around me. Between their imposing roots grew humid bushes, dotted with orange or purple berries. I paused to look up. Pale blue light filtered through dusty leaves. This forest was old… soothing. A wave of calm overcame my sickness.

I wondered if this was how it was like to be dead.

My whole life had been… hectic. Periods of activity in accelerated time, separated by years of static. When I went to sleep, I knew I would awake to a very different world. Things changed even faster while I was awake. There was no time to sit by and watch, no time to rest. Being dead was a permanent thing. I wondered if being dead meant you could forget about time. Being dead could mean walking to a forest like this one and enjoying every second. A dead person could watch the birds pick at the berries; the leaves rustle in the wind and smell the damp odor of soil.

I looked ahead. Withered, aged bark, dark brown patched with green moss. Kunai slashes and shuriken dents long healed but their mark remained. These trees… by their width, they had existed for at least a hundred years. They had a permanency I sorely lacked.

The birds that had landed around me, calmed by my stillness, suddenly flew away when I chuckled.

The only permanent thing in my life was my own existence. I was as old as these trees.

I had existed as long as they supposedly had. I was a mass of data, conscious but with no body, no genetic information to pass on or natural resources to amass for survival. I could not reproduce. If I died, no part of me would continue to exist. There was only me, and my life revolved around living longer.

Then why did I risk my life for Naruto?

I knew about the effects of the Kyuubi's chakra. It had obliged Yamato to cut off his arm, and Sakura showed subtle hints of injuries weeks after the mission. So why risk myself for him?

I didn't have an answer.

I kicked a lump of leaves at my feet and resumed my walk.

Hints as to why I did so could be worked out easily. Naruto had reassured me I wasn't a murderer. He had proven himself a trustworthy ally and I had wanted to repay him his service. Seeing Naruto's progression being stunted by his troubles felt so out of character that I just _had _to do something about it.

Maybe I just wanted Naruto to remain the same person as the one I met at Ichiraku's ramen. I wanted something to stay the same.

Another humorless laugh left my lips. I slid down a mossy root and landed with a muted thud.

If I wanted things to stay the same, I shouldn't go around hunting down the ninja on my list, I thought. A very vivid image of Itachi's bloodied corpse immediately appeared in my head. I had killed him. Freed him from his troubles, put his projects to an end. His life was that of a hunted ninja. He couldn't have been relaxed; he surely had to check for enemies at every corner.

I wondered if Itachi too could stop in the middle of trees like these and calmly reflect on his life. Death was permanent. There'd be no rush. He'd be a spirit like me, unburdened by a physical body…

Physical body.

A lightning bolt of realization froze me on top of a flat rock slick with moss. I drew in a sharp breath.

Itachi had attacked the village to save his brother and the Sharingan from Danzo. Upon death, he had not destroyed his own Sharingan, which he could have done. His body had not been returned to the village, nor reported as destroyed by a Konoha team of ninja.

I remembered his voice clearly. The Uchiha had stated that he was on his own mission, not the Akatsuki's. This implied that they did not know where he was, otherwise they would not have risked him alone against the whole village nor allow him to be defeated. It also meant they had not recuperated the body themselves.

There was only one solution.

Itachi was alive.

The only consequence was sickening.

I'd have to kill him again.

There was no chuckle this time. I slid my feet over the edge and sat on the rock. Death did not seem too bad of a state… but I did not want to give it. I could not fathom myself dying, so I could not wish it for others. I clenched my fists, muscles still aching from the effects of the Kyuubi's chakra.

A massive explosion shook the ground and the sky flashed red. Seconds later, a blast of hot air shook the trees and made flocks of birds take off. I dug my heels into the ground as my cape flapped over my head.

The forest quieted, disturbed only by a distant rumble. Leaves twirled in the air, returning to their resting place.

I envied Naruto. Through his own determination or the help of those around him (me included), he overcame his obstacles and grew more powerful. Mastering the use of four tails of his demon's chakra was just another step for him.

Naruto wanted to be powerful enough to protect his friends. Naruto wanted to be so powerful even his enemies didn't have to die. I wondered if I would ever be that strong.

A few minutes passed. The forest was gradually repopulated by the sounds of birds, frogs and insects.

I sat up. I wiped off with my sleeve something humid on my cheek. I could not wish death for others, yet I had to live. And yet Naruto made me risk my life for him. It was yet another one of his strengths… strength I did not possess. I did not have it because the only way I could eliminate Itachi from this universe was by killing him. Again. In my head, three tomoe spun within red pupils, staring intently.

My legs were still stiff. I took a step, then another to loosen them.

"Don't."

I spun around.

Yamato emerged fully from the tree I had been observing earlier. He pointed past me.

"That's the edge of the barrier. I advise you don't go any further." he said calmly.

I lowered my head and turned to walk in another direction. Dark eyes followed me.

"Kenobi." I looked up at him. "Is something bothering you?"

I stayed silent. I carefully unclenched my fists. He tilted his head slightly and crossed his arms.

"Did you tell your teammates about the ROOT agents?"

I sighed. Despite myself, my voice was unsteady. My throat was unusually tight. "Yes Yamato, I told Naruto."

"Sakura?"

"I… haven't had the occasion."

The ANBU captain maintained his gaze. I lowered my eyes.

"He said it was perfectly normal to defend yourself at the cost of your enemy's life."

The man nodded. "We're ninja." he stated and turned around.

I suddenly felt hollow. The words grouped on my tongue and burned to be let out.

"Yamato!" Dark eyes were upon me again. I tried to face them without wavering. His gaze was unnerving. Not calculating, not judgmental, but it could evaluate you in a second. My voice faltered.

"What is it Kenobi?" he asked softly. He waited for a few seconds while I tried to formulate a better question. "If you wish to ask for something from me-"

I blurted it out. "Why do you kill?"

He stared at me without reaction. My feet shuffled on the dry leaves. "I-I mean what…"

"I know what you wanted to ask."

I shut my mouth and waited for the reprimand. Yamato was a competent, professional ninja. I respected him. To ask for his motivation was both personal and insulting.

"Kenobi, follow me."

I shuffled after him. Leaves rustled and twigs snapped in my wake. The ANBU captain glided silently over the same ground. I contained my surprise when he answered.

"You're not from Konoha, Kenobi. You grew up differently, so many things that make up a ninja of the Leaf must be unfamiliar to you." He paused for a second, looking far ahead. "I think it is best if I explained how I grew up."

I followed him without a word between the trees.

"Most of my life, I was a tool. A weapon. I was a war orphan. I cannot remember my younger years. I've been trained to… forget them. I don't know who took care of me or what life I led. What I do remember is that one day, Orochimaru offered to pick me from the streets. I gladly accepted. My body was used for his experiments."

My eyes bored into the back of his head. The silence spoke volumes on the pain and suffering Orochimaru's experiments entailed.

"I was abandoned as a failure… but I survived. Konoha ninja picked me, and when they discovered my ability to use wood jutsu, I was enrolled into the ANBU."

"Yamato is a codename, right?" I asked. He nodded discreetly before hopping over a fallen tree trunk. I levitated myself after him.

When he spoke again, his voice was harder. "Most of my life I've been given targets to 'take care of'. Assassination and kidnapping were the ANBU's mode of operation. I just did what I was told to do, surviving when my teammates died around me, risking my own life when ordered to do so. I was the perfect agent." He glanced over his shoulder at me. "It wasn't as harsh as in the ROOT. We weren't machines. We were, however… a special kind of ninja. Our emotions were sacrificed first." His voice broke up for a second. "On my hundredth kill, I changed. I couldn't do it anymore. The dead… all looked the same. It felt like killing the same person over and over. My superiors gave me a period to rest… but it was more of a probation period. My talent was too valuable to lose."

My eyes widened. Yamato was one of the few people I could not read, like Kakashi. Nothing in his manners had suggested a breakdown during his career.

"Was your target… someone special?" I asked hoarsely.

He shook his head. "It was an informant that was selling our village false information. A teammate died, but that wasn't it. It was just…" He looked upwards. His headband shined in the falling light. "I just didn't know what I was doing. I killed people. I obeyed orders. It just felt wrong that I was so _neutral _about it."

I nodded cautiously. "What did you do then?"

Yamato turned to face me. There was a small smile on his lips. "I met Tsunade." I raised an eyebrow. "It was back when she was a Sannin, before she left the village. I was drunk… and she listened to people." There was an odd twinkle in his eye. "Kind of like you."

I looked away, embarrassed. Sakura had said the same thing on that night in the hospital.

The man huffed and turned to continue walking. "I told her about my situation. She listened to everything… and she gave me a piece of advice."

He cleared his voice.

"Tsunade explained that Konoha ninja killed to protect. Protect the village, their loved ones, and their livelihood. We are neither tools nor weapons to be used, and that is why we feel like killing is wrong,despite its reasons. She said it was harder for me since the ANBU trained to suppress emotions." He turned around swiftly and placed a fist on his heart. His stare was intense… it seemed as if this whole time I had been looking at another person, and that now the mask had been removed. "Emotions remain, Kenobi. They build up and corrode from the inside."

The forest turned very still. Yamato vibrated amongst the ancient trees, monuments to the permanency of death. Each tree was a kill, and they littered the ground.

"Her piece of advice was to give meaning to my actions. Why do you kill? That was your question. Tsunade told me to find a reason by my own means."

I stumbled on my words. I was very calm yet my heart beat wildly. "D-Did you f-find one?"

A golden ray of light pierced the treetops and illuminated him. The man smiled warmly.

"Yes, Kenobi, I did. I did not know anyone, so I had nobody to protect. I was fed and sheltered by the Hokage, so I did not need money. My reason… was to protect the village itself. The walls, the trees, the soil and the people in it. I learned to love the village and protect it."

His eyes shone as he looked at something far, far away. Slowly, his eyes rose from my chest and met mine. His fist moved from his heart to mine.

"I'll pass on that advice. Find a reason for your actions, Kenobi. Do it for a person, a village or an ideal. Don't ever let yourself become an empty shell."

I licked my dry lips. "Yamato… why tell me this?"

He dropped his fist and turned to face the training field.

"I do it for Naruto. I care about him. I don't want him to lose another friend… none of us want another Sasuke."

I nodded behind his back. His voice startled me.

"So? Do you have a reason?"

"I-I…"

He narrowed his eyes. "You've only been in Konoha for slightly over a month. I doubt you'd lay down your life for the village. Kenobi, do you fight for an ideal?" I frowned. Could my mission be considered ideological? "Maybe… maybe you'll find someone to protect."

"Well…" I started.

I felt it the same moment he did. A mass of metal entered the edge of my sensory range. Concentrating, I made out multiple weapons held together. They moved in an arc at tree-top height.

Yamato slammed a palm into the ground, eyes shut. The mask had returned. This was the person everyone knew. "The barrier has been trespassed. An intruder north-east, heading south. Distance… a kilometer or so. No-one knows of this place. The intruder should be considered hostile."

He opened his eyes. They were calm and professional. "Kenobi, stay behind me and fire your darts if I tell you to."

"Got it."

We launched ourselves between the trees.

* * *

Yamato landed silently on a tree trunk, hanging from his wooden left arm. I tilted my platform to slow down to a standstill behind him.

He glanced at me. I nodded. Three tiles of metal slid down my sleeves and sharpened themselves into darts mid-air. There was no need to spin them up, not with the new power I controlled.

The ANBU captain formed a seal with his hand and merged into the tree. A clone grew from the same spot. It did not Henge, maintaining its wooden consistency.

Seconds passed. I grew nervous.

The mass of metal had halted in front of Yamato's distinctive headband. No-one knew of this place… Konoha's jinchuuriki was hidden here. Had the Akatsuki arrived to capture him while he was outside the village?

The platform at my feet rippled as my magnetic fields grew in intensity.

Yamato's clone raised a fist in the air, and then opened its hand. The symbol was 'White flag', meaning a surrendering enemy… or an ally.

I carefully lowered myself to the ground and went around the tree trunks. My eyes widened.

A pink-haired kunoichi stood in front of Yamato.

My breath caught in my lungs. It was just a coincidence. On the other hand, could she be…?

* * *

**Loteva, Glitter Blizzard: **Thank you so much for sticking to this story and writing all those reviews. I have answered your questions personally by PM, but the big THANK YOU can go here :)

**Narutorox: **I wouldn't have reached this far without your continuous support.

**warsage: **Yes, I will!

**ims: **Emm... okay. How about 999 little slices?


	21. Part 6: Hurt

**Exit Strategy** by Crackalive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

Before you read, ask yourself this question: Are you willing to give up someone you really care about for their own protection? Are you ready to make them hate you to keep them safe?

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 6:**

**III- HURT**

I sat on my cushion. Sakura squeezed in next to Kakashi.

"Well, everything is set," I said. "so how about we-"

"Thank you for the meal!" Naruto shouted. His chopsticks darted to the main dish and he started loading his plate and mouth simultaneously.

I sighed and started eating as well. It was my turn to cook and I had tried something more appetizing than soups and noodles.

Kakashi cleared his throat after a few minutes and turned to Sakura. His mask was on. It was always on. I put down my chopsticks and listened.

"So Sakura, what brings you here?" he asked smoothly.

The kunoichi placed her chopsticks on their holder and recited serenely. "Tsunade sent me here to assist Naruto in his training mission, and complete my report on Itachi's actions with the help of Kenobi." Kakashi nodded absent-mindedly.

"But…" I completed. "if Tsunade sent you on this mission, you should be aware that Naruto is undergoing special _solo_ training. It would in fact be counterproductive if you interfered. Also, I was preparing my report to be sent over to you, so you didn't have to be sent here for that either." She glared darkly at me. "My conclusion is that you asked to be here. Which begs the question: why?"

Sakura's expression had turned sour. I smiled innocently. Yamato looked up with an amused glint in his eye. Naruto was on his second helping, completely oblivious to what was going on.

"I-I…I did ask to be sent here." she stuttered. Suddenly, she took up a resolute look and raised her voice. "You and Naruto are on a team! Team 7! And we work together! Train together! That's what you taught us, Kakashi!"

The silver-haired jonin simply his head, eye creased in delight. I frowned and opened my mouth to protest. I wasn't allowing her near the Kyuubi's chakra if I could help it. My jaw clamped shut when she pointed a finger at me, green eyes blazing.

"And you! You promised special training for me. You're healed, there's a training field outside and we have jonin supervisors. Did you think I'd forget about that promise?" Yamato rose an eyebrow at me. I squirmed on my cushion.

"Well… I do remember something like that…"

Sakura stabbed her plate. I smiled weakly.

"Sure, Sakura, I've got a training program all set up. I'll make sure it's _extra_ special." Her glare faltered slightly. Yamato looked at each of us in turn.

"More salt?" he proposed. The kunoichi slowly nodded and I looked down at my plate.

We returned to our meal. Relative silence returned.

"Hey guys, what's with the mood?" Naruto commented, loudly. He pointed at his plate with greasy chopsticks. "This is awesome stuff. You should be enjoying it! What did you call it again, Kenobi?"

"French fries."

"Yeah! Fwench fees are the best! You could make a living out of it." He scratched his chin pensively. "Not as good as ramen though. Don't worry Kenobi, you'll make good competition."

I cracked a smile. Kakashi loaded another plate and spread salt generously over it. Where his first helping had gone, I didn't know.

* * *

A warm breeze ran over the bright green grass. The sun shone overhead, granting weather befitting of spring. We were as far as possible from Naruto and his demonic chakra, in a clearing facing the edge of the forest.

Sakura sat cross legged, facing me. She was wearing a long-sleeved jumper, as I had asked her to, and trousers running down to her ankles. I tried to find a teaching voice, but I ended up imitating Yamato when he tried to explain something to Naruto.

"From what I've seen, Tsunade taught you to dodge attacks and destroy targets using your chakra enhanced strength, if it comes closer. Essentially, it's all defensive."

She nodded.

"Now, you want to go on the offensive. For that, I've devised three techniques that will change the way you'll fight." Sakura opened her mouth to say something. I cut her off. "No, these aren't new jutsu. Simply new ways to use what you already know."

She tilted her head to the side, curious. I leant closer, opening my hands to ask for explanations.

"I don't know much about chakra and how it is used, but your chakra enhanced strength… it's a more advanced method of what ninjas use to reinforce their body, right?"

"Yes, it is. The results are proportional to the person's control of the chakra. It overcomes the limitations of muscular strength."

I flexed my fingers. "Okay. But what you used against Itachi, when you punched the ground… that destruction technique. It wasn't just a reinforced arm, were you? The effects of that technique don't add up with a simple punch."

She smiled as if I had just realized an evident truth. "No, the destruction technique is different." The kunoichi looked down and clenched her fist. "I accumulate and compress chakra in my fist, then use the momentum of the punch to force it into the ground. Once outside of my body, that chakra expands and breaks up the surrounding matter."

I frowned. "Pushing it into the ground, is it like pushing healing chakra into a body?"

"Tsunade derived the destruction justu from that technique. She adapted the nature, and concentration of the chakra used for another effect entirely."

"Perfect then!" I grinned and stood up. She followed me. "The first thing I want you to learn is… to use the destruction technique without all the unnecessary movements."

"Unnecessary mo-"

"All that jumping and punching the ground. With your levels of chakra control, I'm sure you can use the destruction technique with a simple tap."

She frowned. A breeze rustled her pink locks.

"Push the destructive chakra into the target as you would for a medical technique."

Her face suddenly brightened. "I see! What you want me to do… is force it in myself? Do you want me to fight like the Hyuugas? Did you pick up the idea from the Gentle Fist style?"

The girl was smart. I smiled but shook my head. "Not really, Sakura. No closing tenketsu points, just aim to hit a vital point once. The second technique I wanted to teach you is blocking in a way to allow you to use the first one."

"What do you mean?"

"Look…" I assumed one of her regular stances, open palm forward and fist ready to strike by my side. With slow movements, I straightened my left arm into the sky and used it to make an imaginary downwards strike slide off to the side. My other arm extended and rose into the space where an enemy's undefendable right armpit would be. "…your opponent won't be able to reach across to block this strike, and you remove an arm."

I repeated the final movement, aiming instead upwards, for the head, then again, meeting a left-armed counterattack. "Your technique can destroy any solid matter your enemy uses, so you always want to be in a position to meet his or her attacks with your fists, and nothing else."

"Hmm." I could see on her face that she was working out the implications. "I understand what you are trying to do. The third technique?"

I answered with a smile. "Kunai throwing. Your opponent will use distance to escape your fists."

Sakura crossed her arms at that. "That's not a technique… Kenobi, I've been practicing my throwing for years." she said, scowling.

"A little more won't hurt." I tried not to look intimidated by her white knuckles. "Shall we begin?"

I drew four metal rings from my sleeves. "Here, put these around your wrists and ankles."

The kunoichi took them warily, before shrugging and sliding them on. As soon as they were in place, they split into hundreds of wires that wound themselves up to her knees and elbows. She jumped up, startled.

"Wha-What is this?" she stammered, trying to shake off the metal. I waved my hands dismissively.

"Relax." I told her.

Magnetic fields gently lifted and lowered her arms. "I can control them by acting on the metal around them, to help you train." I pointed at her jumper. "The long sleeves keeps it from chafing against your skin."

She clenched her fists, waving her arms around to get used to the new weights. Suddenly, the ground rumbled and the soil in front of me broke up. The kunoichi hopped backwards before realized I hadn't moved. She stomped back.

When the cloud of dust settled, a thick plate of iron stood between us. I looked across. Her green eyes glared at me and her lips mumbled curses.

"Warn me next time!" she shouted. I suppressed a chuckle and beckoned her closer.

"Loosen your limbs now, and pay attention to their movements. I'm going to synchronize them with my own movements, okay?" She nodded and assumed a taijutsu stance. "At the end of each move, I'll have you tap that metal plate over there. Use your destruction technique if you can. Most of the energy will be absorbed, so don't worry if you use too much chakra."

I moved to stand next her, then copied her stance. The metal wires tightened under the influence of opposing magnetic fields.

"Ready?"

With a deep breath, she got rid of her annoyance. Her eyes burned with determination. A frightening smile then danced on her lips.

"Ready for anything."

* * *

Tongue dry. Muscles sore and trembling. Lungs burning with each breath. Blood thumping against a piercing headache. I was at my limit.

Shadows darkened the clearing, and rain clouds loomed ahead.

Instinctively, I started the following maneuver. My left elbow moved to trap a knife lunge against my side, hand moving up to grab the arm. With a twist, I pulled on it. The opponent's neck/head area met my right fist. A loud clang resounded next to me, followed by a wave of heated air. Sakura had ended her move with a chakra-charged strike.

I forced myself to stop and face my training partner. She was panting, sweat wetting her hair and dripping at her chin. I had ceased magnetically controlling her limbs hours ago.

"Sakura, I think it's enough for tod-"

The kunoichi had already moved on to the next combination of moves. She bent out of the way of a knife lunge to the chest, the lashed out with her left fist in one lightning-quick maneuver.

"Sakura!"

She shifted back to her initial stance, eyelids half shut. I re-applied magnetic pressure and froze her. Her muscles contracted in a memorized sequence. The metal wires tightened and pushed her arms down and her legs next to each other.

"Kenobi, what are you doing?" she mumbled between breaths.

I placed a hand on her shoulder to hold her upright. "It's enough for now." I rasped. "Let's rest."

She shook her head weakly. "No, no… I can still continue. You… you don't even look tired."

My short chuckle was interrupted by the need to breathe regularly. "I'm exhausted actually. Let's return before it starts raining, okay?"

"But…"

"You were better than I expected, Sakura. You've accomplished enough for one day." My vision blurred. Cool drops of water splashed on my skin. "There's no point… in pushing yourself harder. Come on, I'll help you."

I stepped to her side and helped her walk. She didn't seem fully conscious. After a few steps, she faltered and leaned heavily on me. Her arms swung by her sides. "I'm so tired, Kenobi." she muttered.

I lifted a numb arm and patted her shoulder. "Come on," I whispered. "Don't want… to get soaked."

She was silent for a few seconds. A raindrop fell on my eyelid. I batted the water out.

"Carry me."

I couldn't see her face, and I was happy she couldn't see mine. Never would the regular Sakura ask such a thing from me… but she was too tired for her antics. This was her subconscious speaking. Mustering the last of my energy, I sighed and crouched to scooped her up. My muscles refused to lift. I gritted my teeth and used my magnetic powers once more. Thankfully, he kunoichi was surprisingly light. My muscles ached just the same

I arrived half an hour later, drenched.

"Hey Sakura, you might want to go meet the others on your own feet…"

I looked down. She was silent, water plastering the hair against her head, buried in my chest. I nudged her gently. The kunoichi was asleep.

I frowned. Her clothes were soaked, but she was not shivering. I rushed inside.

The door handle unlocked itself and opened. I trudged inside, dripping water onto the floorboards. Yamato and Kakashi looked up from the scrolls on the table. I ignored their stares and hopped up the stairs. The pain was filtered with great difficulty.

Sakura's room was locked… but not for long. With the last of my strength, I dragged her in. The shower was to the right of the door. Carefully, I layed her down inside of it and turned the hot water tap on. The warm water would prevent hypothermia and a nasty fever later. Her eyes flickered open, darted over to me… and rolled back to sleep.

I looked at her one last time. She looked so vulnerable, curled up in there. My heart jumped with a sudden feeling of empathy. Her world had been turned upside down, and beneath the ferocious determination to get stronger, she was still dealing with her fears and doubts. What she needed was someone to lean on…

I stumbled out, locked the door behind me and shuffled to my own room, feeling utterly spent.

* * *

When I woke up again, night had fallen. Rain drummed on the wooden window panel.

My muscles creaked as I pulled myself to a sitting position. Lighting the lamp magnetically was punished by a disproportionate bolt of electricity running up my arms. Exhaustion…

I disconnected my spirit from the body. With a familiar manipulation of the data streams, I cut off the pain and over-rode the limitations of my muscles. When I reconnected, my limbs felt very distant, as if I was a puppeteer pulling on the strings. Exhaustion was foremost a mental state, therefore I could remedy it.

What mattered was that I got up, wiped the floor, showered, changed clothes and managed to get down to the kitchen to search for leftovers.

To my surprise, Sakura was standing by the counter. A towel was wrapped around her hair, and she wore loose trousers under her pink nightgown.

"Y-you're up?"

The kunoichi whirled around, chopping knife in hand. For a split second, I imagined her taking revenge for entering her room without permission by murdering me, then moving on to other offenses.

"Ah… it's you." she said. "Yeah, woke up for a quick dinner. No good sleeping on an empty stomach after all _that_, right?"

I watched her, hiding my nervousness behind a perplexed llok. She didn't sound like someone who had trained from morning till dark.

"But… how?" I tilted my head and motioned vaguely in her direction. "You exhausted your chakra and fell asleep just a few hours ago."

She waved her free hand dismissively. "I'm fine now, don't worry."

"But how did you recuper-"

"I'm a medical ninja!" She snapped, but softened quickly. "I didn't use up all my chakra… I had enough to repair the exhaustion."

She adjusted the towel over her head and returned to the chopping block in front of her. This time, I noticed her sluggish movements and the absence of tension in her shoulders despite her movements.

"You had me worried."

The chopping paused for a second. "Sorry." she mumbled.

"Eh, Sakura… no problem. Just don't overdo it again." I scratched the back of my head. "I guess its kunai throwing for tomorrow then!"

The kunoichi remained silent. I went for the fridge. Before I reached for the handle, Sakura called out from the counter.

"Wait! Kenobi. I prepared donburi for the both of us. I'll finish quickly!"

I raised an eyebrow. "I can cook for myself you know… and how did you know I was going to wake up? I could have continued-"

"Please!" She thrust a bowl of rice topped with chopped meat and vegetables, bowing deeply. "Thank you for training me." she said, blushing with embarrassment. "And thank you… for taking me home."

I lost my words and gaped.

Sakura was thanking me. That was polite. What scrambled my thoughts though was the image of a fiercely independent kunoichi refusing any assistance _clashing_ with what she had just said.

This was monumental. The closest to a…confession I would ever get. No- it was an allowance. You, Kenobi, are permitted to help me, and I, Sakura, promise not to beat you to pulp for getting close to me. Suppressing a smile, I returned the bow. "I accept the meal… as compensation for all that you put me through."

Heavy silence fell between us. I hoped I wasn't blushing like she was. After what felt like hours, I cleared my throat. We both looked up, feeling rather silly bowing to each other, alone in the kitchen. Her smile quickly became a frown. Deftly, she placed the bowl on one end of the table, walked up to me and clobbered me on the head. I didn't miss the amused tint in her eyes.

"You put yourself through this-you're the one who wanted to train me!" she exclaimed.

I grinned. "But-" My counter was knocked short by a fist.

"I don't remember asking you to pick me up, okay?!"

Her pink cheeks complimenting her hair color reduced the effect of the angry glare she gave me.

"Yes, sorry, it never happened. Let's eat, okay?"

I rubbed my head and sat down, grinning. Moments like these reminded me that she there was a sixteen year old girl under the deadly kunoichi. I watched her as she fretted with around the table. For the moment, whatever exhaustion she felt was locked away as she tried to impress me with her meal of gratitude.

The girl really did try too hard.

"Hey Sakura, there's enough on the table."

She looked up from the mound of carrots, onions, eggs, boiled potatoes, salmon, seasoning herbs... "Bu-… I haven't finished the salad!"

I chuckled. "I won't stay awake long enough to eat anything else. There's no hiding it; you look like you're going to fall asleep on your feet too. Come on now."

She sighed, wiped her hands and pulled up a chair. I split my chopsticks and dug in.

Halfway through the meal, I noticed she had barely grazed her own.

I looked up at her. Her eyes shifted to me hesitantly, as if she expected something. "It's delicious." I said, adding I warm smile. "I guess I should train you more often." She beamed.

When I went to sleep, my cheeks felt as tired as the rest of my body. I had been smiling the whole time.

* * *

The next day, we practiced the art of throwing a kunai. It was much less physically intensive, and my ability to attract the metal projectiles back from wherever they landed meant the training session consisted of only aiming and throwing.

Sakura, true to her word, needed no lessons from me. In fact, I found myself imitating her smooth and precise movements. My arms did not have the tone and reflexes that came from years of throwing, so my kunai went all over the place until I corrected their path magnetically.

At midday, we took a proper rest. Naruto joined us to eat from the picnic basket Sakura had prepared. He had returned to the house even later than we did. Excitedly, he revealed that he had managed to adapt some of his ninjutsu to draw on the demon's chakra, including the trademark Rasengan. The fact that none of that chakra could be felt on him as he ate, despite maintaining the four tailed mode for hours, was testament enough to his progress.

That night, Kakashi gathered us on the living room floor to note down our progress. It wasn't something he'd normally do, but since this was a mission from the Hokage, he 'had to keep up appearances'.

With a bored look, he revealed that next week, we were to practice team maneuvers while handling Naruto's new abilities. The objective was to demonstrate to the council members that the village's jinchuuriki had some level of control over the Kyuubi, and that he could be sent out on missions without risking losing him.

Before that though, we were being sent back to the village for two days. Yamato and Kakashi had been recalled for an urgent matter. Immediately, I set to modifying my plans for avoiding Danzo, but when I steered my gaze to the right… I knew just what to do.

* * *

"Feeling better now?"

Sakura nodded as she ducked down to remove the wires from her legs. A quick manipulation of their magnetic fields loosened them for her.

"I've got enough chakra to use it safely again." she said. The kunoichi hopped a few times, getting used to the absence of weights. "How about you?"

I stepped in front of her and assumed a basic aggressive stance. "Doesn't matter."

She frowned slightly before sliding her feet sideways and moving her fists to face me.

I cleared my throat. "For the next two hours, we'll be alternating aggressive and defensive roles. Use the attack moves I just showed you. These-" I clanged the metal plates on my arms against the one on my chest. "-will protect me."

She took a deep breath, clenching her fists. My muscles tensed.

"I'll alternate fighting styles without warning. Watch out."

The kunoichi's pink locks of hair rustled in the afternoon breeze. Far behind us, the ground rumbled from Naruto's demonic powers.

Her lips moved. "Begin."

* * *

Sakura ducked under the diagonal kick to her head and reached for the fabric on my leg. I saw her move and reacted. I swiveled on my heel and lashed out with a gut punch. She dodged. Low kick. Stepped aside. I followed her move with a spinning elbow.

The kunoichi absorbed the strike to her chin, capturing my arm- my metal plates rippled, transmitting the shock away from my chest. The vibrations were instantaneously absorbed by the magnetic field surrounding my armor and redirected. However, it did not cancel all of the force.

I staggered backwards. I took a few deep breaths before righting myself.

Her voice called behind me, slightly worried. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine. It just felt weird." My eyes wandered over to her. She didn't look tired at all. "How are you holding up?"

"I can continue!" she answered with a smile. "The chakra drain has been minimal."

I frowned and took a step closer. "Minimal?"

The kunoichi shuffled uneasily. "Well… I've really reduced the power of the technique, since I'm using it on you. Don't want to get hurt training, right?"

"No wonder it felt wrong…" I muttered. Anger strengthened my voice. "Why would I get hurt? I already told you I'm protected from its effects! What have you been doing, Sakura?"

"Whoah, calm down Kenobi! It's just training-"

I stomped forwards. "_Just_ training? Next time you're in a fight, it won't be just training!" I was shouting. "You'll die, Sakura, you'll die because you're afraid of hurting me! Look at Naruto! He's risking his life to become more powerful." As if on cue, the ground shook. She shuffled backwards, looking down.

"I- I don't..."

Something about her churned my stomach. Without thinking, I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Sakura flinched. "Look at me!" I searched for her eyes. "I'm an enemy ninja. I've come to kill you, your friends, everyone!" My following words came out as a whisper, menacing. "You only have time for one strike. What will you do then? Minimal chakra drain, huh?"

She swallowed, looking away. I sighed and let her go.

"Sakura, you wanted to take on a more aggressive role. I did as you wished, and showed you how. There are _deadly_ risks involved… I'm not doing this so you that you can throw yourself at the enemy without having actually fought before."

"But Kenobi!" she cried. Her eyes were moist and her arms shook. "I-I can't use this technique… on people! It'll… They'll get k-" She choked on the last word.

That feeling… I knew what it was now. It was disgust. The Sakura in front of me wasn't the determined, witty girl I felt affection for, it wasn't the one who had resolved to stand up for herself and deal with her problems headfirst. No… this was the scripted Sakura. The old Sakura. The character that never changed, that followed a predetermined plot… programmed, fake. The sickening sensation grew and made me shudder.

The feelings I felt were real. There was a slim chance… but given time and the proper attention, this character could be turned into a person. It had been done before; digital humans basing their personality on a program. If it came to that, I would create her. With my own hands, I'd _make _her real. I'd become the Blue Fairy for her.

"Sakura." The girl froze at my voice. Whatever emotions it carried, I did not care anymore. "I'm not going to lose you on a battlefield. You fight for real or we're done here."

Worry drained her face. "K-Kenobi?"

"You are weak! You were nearly defeated by a clone! A clone made by Itachi, suffering from chakra exhaustion and bearing no weapons." My eyes bore into hers. I hoped she could see my pain. "You promised to fight instead of waiting to be rescued. What did I do?! I had to come and save you! Is that all you can do?" I pointed an accusing finger. "It's because you don't take training seriously that you ended up being useless. You are scared of using your most powerful technique on an opponent because he'll die? What do you think throwing shuriken and explosive tags do?!"

I trampled on the cold grass to get next to her. She was shivering. "That makes you a failure as a ninja, Sakura."

Suddenly, it ended. I felt the change. My words had struck a nerve, and now her worries and fears were being washed over by anger. Her trembling gave way to tightened fists, leather gloves creaking.

It wasn't enough.

I struck her stomach. Hard. She doubled over, gaping. I loomed over her as she retched on the ground.

A ninja did not stay down. I kicked her stomach, then stomped the spot that her arms did not cover. She rolled with the blow and stumbled up, teeth gritted. Her feet moved to form a shaky defensive position. Immediately, I feinted to the right. Sakura unbalanced herself to catch the attack from the opposite direction. I rammed my knee into her gut. She fell again, quivering.

I kept my face blank, my heart was cold.

Seconds passed as she brought herself up again. I waited. Our eyes met, brown on green. Realization widened her. She knew what she had to do.

"No…" she whimpered.

I batted her defending arm aside and slammed a palm under her nose. It was painful to force her to confront her fears. I pushed that pain aside. Having her die on the battlefield would be much, much worse to watch… and so I attacked again.

I acted the role of an aggressor… became the aggressor. When I hit, I intended to demolish. She blocked and parried, used the moves I had taught her but when the time came for her to use the deadly jutsu… she froze, staring at her fist in disbelief.

My fist lashed out in an arc. She ducked instinctively, falling instead to a low kick that swept her feet off the ground. An elbow smashed into her jaw on the way down.

Sakura took longer to get back up, dazed by the blow. Her eyes were still dull.

I slammed into her as soon as she regained her footing. She barely managed to absorb the blow with her arm, dropping to her knees.

A foot dug into her ribs, sending her sprawling. Moisture and blades of grass now dotted her uniform. I followed her down onto the ground.

My weight held her down. One knee pinned down her right arm. The other was held under my armpit. I had one free hand… and she had none.

Her eyes… they were pleading. I raised my fist. She did not want me to hurt her, and I did not want her to see her dead... I brought it down.

And again. And-

Chakra-enhanced muscles surged under me, lifting me off the ground in a powerful convulsion. She slammed her palm against the ground, following me into the air. Her fist drew back.

My metal armor vibrated from the impact. It… wasn't the destruction technique. Making a split-second decision, I extended a metal tendril through my sleeve and coiled it around her extended fist. Inertia strained the magnetic fields holding it in place, before it rebounded and annulled itself.

We landed on our feet, at arm's length. I quickly contracted my muscles and reeled her in. Her neck jerked backwards from the following punch. The metal stretched taught again, and the dazed kunoichi woke to a sternum-shattering upper cut as she rolled to the ground.

Specks of blood wet my knuckles. My jaws tightened. This was blood I wouldn't have to see later. Roughly, I slid over to where she had stopped moving and gripped her wrist.

Wild eyes darted to the hold. A flick of my wrist spun her around, a second movement locked her arm behind her back.

Sakura grunted when I pulled her up, her weight straining the twisted joint. Her back straightened against the lock, and as I applied pressure, she tiptoed to relieve it. Beyond the treeline, I felt Kakashi watching. From the outside, it must have looked like unwarranted aggression. Proving all of his foreign spy theories, I mused grimly.

"Sakura…" I was just behind her, whispering into her ear. Her hair tickled my nose. "You can do it. You have a free arm, my flank is open."

The curve of her cheeks hinted at a mask of pain. No words escaped her… a muffled gasp left her lips when I twisted further. Her elbow bulged unnaturally.

I tried again. "Do it. Hurt me. See me as an enemy, right now, or you'll lose this arm. I swear it: if it means you won't die as a failed ninja then I will twist." Her breath hitched. Pain or surprise, I did not know. "If you cannot, take off that headband and stay that frail little girl that does nothing but watch the backs of those who protect her-"

My words were cut off. Concentrated power slammed against metal plating. The magnetic limiters broke down correctly, allowing the fields to synchronize and transfer the force of the strike away from my body… but the force, the intensity was too great. The surplus energy rushed back up the link and knocked me out.

I blinked my eyes open. Everything under my neck was just… numb. A giant bruise. I staggered, stumbled to the ground. A long trench carved into the dirt led to the crater I lay in.

My breath rasped, as if my lungs had been shredded. Suddenly, strong hands gripped me and pulled me out and onto the grass. I sunk into the shoulder supporting me, trying to regain my composure.

It was Sakura. Her eyes were darting all over my body, checking for damage.

"Hey… I'm not injured." I croaked. "I told…" -cough- "I told you I could take a hit."

I did my best to smile, reassure her. Something about her comforted me. Not her fragrance, not the way she held me… not even the warm chakra infiltrating my skin. It was the simple knowledge that she was real.

She did not answer.

This Sakura wasn't some author's creation. She wasn't a simulated character. This one hadn't backed down. This one, this special one, had used a lethal technique on her teammate to prove her worth.

I looked up again… and stifled a cry of anguish. Blood dripped from a split lip, and a livid yellow bruise ran an arc under her left eye. Her nose was swollen. Underneath her injuries was something much more frightening: it was the hateful glare her bleary eyes gave me.

The glowing chakra in her palms did not feel comforting any more. I looked away and shivered.

When frigid words escaped her swollen lips, I froze. "You won." she said. "You made me do it." My eyes darted back, and I winced under her fierce stare. "It was cold of you, Kenobi."

With those final words that shook me to the core, she got up and left.

* * *

I couldn't sleep that night.

My thoughts were jumbled, my mind unable to rest. If I closed my eyes, all I would see was a pair of dark eyes deep-set in bruises. She hated me.

I shifted on the wooden tiles, silver colored in the occasional beam of moonlight the pierced the clouds. Underneath me was Naruto's room. He hadn't seen Sakura yet. When he did, he'd probably kill me for it… maybe he had the right to. I myself couldn't completely justify my actions.

One half of me, rational and calculating, weighed the risks. Teach the kunoichi a more aggressive role in the team without giving her the intent to actually harm the opponent, and have her die, or attack and hurt her but keep her alive, despite losing her affection? After all, it was said, the heart could be healed but death was permanent.

The other half though… cried. I had lost Sakura. Her swollen face conflicted with the happy blush of the night before. All she saw in me now was a cruel monster. A brutal one. _Cold. _I clenched my hands and tried to pass off the feelings as fake. I was in a simulation after all, Kenobi was just a character and whatever I did was-wasn't simulated. What I did here was something I could repeat outside of the simulation.

If Kenobi was a cruel, brutal monster that struck down the people he cared for, then _I _was like that.

I ran my fingers through my hair and gritted my teeth. Far above, the moon disappeared.

I took the decision. I had to leave, hunt the Akatsuki on my own. If I stayed any longer, I would just hurt more and more people. My legs slid forward and I shifted my weight to stand up.

A pair of arms held me down.

Slowly, the clouds moved. An eerie glow illuminated the roof. Wrapped around my chest were her arms.

I wasn't surprised. A ninja could move and kill without being heard or seen. My hand moved to cover her thin fingers. She tightened her grip, and I felt a warm chest against my back, a chin on my shoulder, a lock of hair on my cheek.

"I-I'm so sorry, Sakura."

She exhaled down my collar.

"I shouldn't have done that. I hurt you." I whispered, frustrated that I could not put all of what I felt into words. "I-There could have been another way. I was so… so worried for you."

"Shut up."

I held my breath. There was no anger in her voice, just a soft murmur that wanted to tell me something.

"You act so clever and yet you're such an idiot at times." As she spoke, her right hand slid up my chest to rest on my heart. "You haven't seen what Tsunade put me through. I healed myself in all of ten minutes. The old lady took an hour every day."

I looked down, trying to sort out my feelings. There was a pressing question though.

"Then why did you… say that-"

"I'm an idiot too sometimes." the girl interrupted. "I'm a ninja. When I stay back and wait to heal your injuries, I forget that my first role is to _kill_ the enemy. Yamato reminded me."

Despite myself, I smiled. "He gave you the speech too, didn't he?"

I turned in her arms to face her. Our noses touched, and I looked into her eyes. They were not cold or hateful. A few seconds later I realized that I was too close for comfort, so I shifted to sit facing her further away. I made no reaction to the nervous shiver that traveled down her thin night gown.

I broke the silence. My heart still raced, trying to knot of guilt. "I'm… still sorry."

"You _better_ be." The kunoichi waved a fist in front of me. "When we get back, training won't be so easy!"

I frowned. "Sakura…"

The ground shook and a cloud of dust obscured the clearing. Rising above the field were dozens of metal tubes of various diameters, some hollow and wrapped in wires, others filled and spinning on axis. They extended spherically from a central hub; a faceted sphere that reflected the moon with alternating flashes of light. Magnetic energy rippled throughout the construct, dispersing the dust.

"I don't think we're returning here again."


	22. Part 6: The Plan

**Exit Strategy** by Crackalive

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

This chapter is special, not because of its content, which are similar to the last chapter, but by its significance in the plot. This is the end of the first arc of Exit Strategy. From now on, Kenobi will have a more proactive role in the events that unfold. Instead of waiting for the Akatsuki to hunt down Naruto, he is is inverting the roles of prey and predator and moving out.

However, the start of the second arc will be delayed. Due to real-life pressures of revisions and exams, I've had to take a hiatus for two weeks. No updates until the 3rd of June. I'll return to regular posting after that. Don't worry readers, you'll only miss one update, and I have a super-exciting 23rd chapter being prepared.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 6:**

**IV- THE PLAN**

After the rain came the sun.

An bearable heat plagued the journey back to the village. The empty sky was solely occupied by a blistering sun, the unadulterated radiation leaving the three of us sweating profusely. Naruto removed his shirt and went topless as soon as Kakashi and Yamato split up with us. That would have earned him a good smack from Sakura had I not done the same soon after. The kunoichi resigned to grumbling about how girls had it unfair.

"So where are you two going now?" I asked. The village gate loomed overhead, still heavily guarded.

"Ramen."

"Shower."

One word replies were all they could manage in this heat.

"Don't forget to meet up at the Hokage's, around seven o'clock."

"Kenobi…" Naruto was trying to arrange his damp jacket around his shoulders to allow a modicum of decency within the village. Ninja were bound to set an example. "You haven't told us yet what all this is about."

I grinned. "I'll tell you everything. Just let me check on something before I take it further, okay?"

Sakura gave me a sidelong look. Naruto just grunted and started moving ahead. The guards gave him one look and let him through.

"So, where are you going?" I looked up. Sakura was fishing for our identification papers from her bag. "What are you checking on?" she asked.

We walked up to the guards. "Ah, I… don't want to be throwing around theories without proof, you know?" She gave me a narrow-eyed stare. "Hey, you'll be the first I tell."

Sakura smirked. "I doubt that, Kenobi."

"Wh-Why?" I stuttered. Her gaze was unnerving.

Instead of answering, she simply waved and launched herself over the rooftops.

* * *

I arrived at Konoha hospital a few hours later. Its whitewashed exterior gleamed, and all the shutters were pulled down to stave off the strong sunlight.

I headed towards the reception desk. The halls were empty, devoid of the usual clatter and activity. A young nurse scribbled on a scroll in front of me, sleeves rolled up and sweat dripping from her nose.

"Hey there!"

The nurse looked up, red faced.

I gave her a wide grin. "Can you point me to a room, please?"

She stared at me blankly. The heat tended to make people do that… or maybe she was a very simple program.

"Shikamaru Nara."

With a short nod, she got up and went to the stacks of scrolls piled up on the shelves behind her. She searched mechanically. I felt sorry for her. I myself had been bathing minutes ago at the closest bathhouse. After a few long minutes, she looked up.

"I'm sorry, the patient you are looking for has checked out."

I frowned. "Err, well thank you for…"

She had already turned around to return the scrolls she had pulled out. I sighed and walked back out the way I came from.

Stepping outside, I noticed a man quickly look away and started walking while take notes. He was clad in loose-fitting black clothing. It wasn't abnormal for Konoha villagers to do so… but the nonchalant gait in this heat made it obvious that he was a ninja. Danzo or Tsunade; whoever he worked for did not matter. Both of them meant trouble for me. I muttered a curse and increased my pace.

* * *

"Come in, Shikamaru would like to see you."

I smiled back at the short, brown-haired woman and followed her inside. She twirled her apron around and marched into the compound. Several corridors and sliding doors later, I was presented to a wooden panel at the end of a row of rooms. 'Do Not Disturb' was painted across it in bold letters. The woman simply huffed and began rapping on it with the rolling pin she carried around.

"Shikamaru! Your guest is here!"

"Mom! I'm coming-"

Shikamaru's mother practically battered the door. "Open the door this instant! Get up you lazy slouch! If you don't-"

The door slid open to reveal a distinctly worried teenager. He blanched when his mother bared her teeth. She really did merit her terrifying reputation.

"Listen. You've got a guest here, so if I catch you _napping_ again while he waits, you and I are going to talk." She agitated the pin in front of him menacingly. I hid my smile when he solemnly swore to stay awake.

When she turned to face me though, she transformed back into the sweet, mild-tempered mother I had first met at the door.

"Kenobi, dear, I think you've already met my son. He hasn't had much visit lately, so I'll leave it up to you to keep him on his feet and doing something" -she turned a frightening eye towards him- "like the doctor ordered."

I nodded respectfully. The moment she rounded the corner, Shikamaru slumped against the wall.

"You okay?"

The Nara shot me a glance before righting himself and gesturing for me to follow him into his room. It was spacious, but the volume was filled by stacks of scrolls, maps, diagrams and books open to where his laziness had prevented him from continuing reading. Sunlight, filtered through the wooden blinds, cast a hazy glow into the room.

"Why'd you come here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be outside the village?"

"I… well-" This was Shikamaru, I told myself. Of course he knows. "You heard, right?"

Shikamaru propped a stool for me and sunk into his couch. His face bore an expression of carefully crafted apathy. It hid his thoughts.

I gulped. "What… do you think about all this?"

The silence lengthened. His loyalty was for Konoha, and the accusations laid out publicly _must have_ made him re-think our relationship. Maybe, like Kakashi, he doubted who I really was- A small smile curved his lips. Maybe not.

"Kenobi, I wasn't there."

I waited for him to continue. He sighed and moved forward on his chair, cupping his hands under his chin.

"My informants though… they gave me a clear picture of what happened." I raised an eyebrow, expectant. "Danzo's proof wasn't substantial enough to accuse a ninja of this village. However… he doesn't need _any_ proof to detain you if you're an enemy spy."

"So if it weren't for Tsunade…" I shuddered.

"… you'd be in prison awaiting trail, and with ten testimonials against you, you wouldn't be getting out anytime soon." He spread his arms. "My own conclusions though… if you were sent by an enemy village, you are either here to assassinate or infiltrate. It's been two months now and no-one of note has been murdered. If you were sent to infiltrate, attracting attention to yourself, from Danzo of all people, wouldn't be the way to do it. In other words, you failed your mission, are incredibly incompetent or are not here for any of those things."

"So… you trust me?"

Shikamaru reached behind his desk and fiddled with a lock with one hand. His smile turned wry.

"I haven't excluded all the possibilities."

A crunching sound followed and a bag of chips emerged. Hidden stash, I guessed. He opened the bag and held it out. I took a potato chip… and ate it.

It was as good a declaration of friendship as any. Whatever tension between us suddenly disappeared, and Shikamaru slumped back into his couch.

"So…" I asked on a conversational tone. "Your mother says there aren't many visitors?"

"It's better that way." He grumbled with a scowl. "Mom probably scared them away."

"Hm?"

"Ah, well Ino and Choji are training with their new team-"

"New team?! What about you?"

Shikamaru let out a tired chuckle. "Itachi really messed up my chakra. The genjustsu was just a knockout effect, but it was powerful. I've been put on mission rest for the rest of the week. As for my team-Kenobi, that is information I worked for."

His eyes glinted, calculating. "Fine," I said, grimacing. "Add it to my tab."

"Heh. What I can tell you for now is that things are moving again. The word "Akatsuki" pops up in several recent reports I've interc- read. Tsunade is forming new teams to deal with the threat; Ino and Choji are already being integrated into theirs. Apparently, the targets are the village junchuuriki."

I nodded grimly. Naruto was in danger… and according to the back-story I invented for myself, I could be too.

"I guess that is why Yamato and Kakashi were recalled."

Shikamaru put down the bag of chips, now empty. Stripes of sunlight divided his figure into equal portions. He gave me an odd look.

"So what are you here for?"

"I came to check up on you… and ask for a favor."

His eyebrows rose. "Hum? That makes two today."

I waved it off. "Let's go for a walk."

"Nah! Too hot!"

I stood up slowly and tied my cloak around my waist, quickly calculating the hour as I did so. "It's five o'clock, Shikamaru. Get up like your doctor told you to, and come on. I don't know if I'm supposed to have a chuunin with me, but I'm not taking any risks."

"That's never stopped you." he retorted with a grin.

I bent down for my sandals. "_Get up_. I need you to go somehere."

The Nara sunk deeper into the couch, clutching a pillow. "Go there yourself."

"Shikamaru… I need you to take me to a certain spot in your clan's forest."

* * *

The last of the sun's rays crept over the rooftops, hailing a refreshing breeze and a cold night.

I paced under the deepening shadow of the Hokage's tower, troubled. There was no corpse at that spot. Itachi would certainly not have been able to leave the area on his own feet… so somebody else must have taken him. This was another variable I had not accounted for. The Uchiha himself had mentioned a third party hunting for Uchiha eyes, but I knew nothing more. Whatever was going to happen, it wasn't going to fit with my plans… and surprises led to failures. Deadly failures.

"Kenobi!"

I looked up. Sakura was waving from the other end of street. She looked ready, full of energy for a new mission… which was a shame, since I had bad news. She walked over briskly, rubbing her arms against the wind.

"Hey." The kunoichi always brought a smile to my face.

"Been waiting long?"

"No." I looked up. "Where's Naruto? The sun set a while ago."

"Ah." She suddenly blushed and started fiddling with her hair.

I frowned. She had never reacted that way to the mention of the blond. "You can tell me."

"Well, you see…" The pink-haired girl shuffled nervously on her feet. "He's with Hinata."

"Really?" I hummed, picturing the shy, pupilless girl that had a crush on Naruto. Well, they were of age to explore more of their bodies-

Sakura twirled around, giggling. "She bought him ramen!"

"Oh, I thought….. Nevermind. I hadn't expected Hinata to approach him though; she's usually so shy."

"I know! They'd be so cute together!" she squealed. "I think he got the message this time. He took her to Ino's flower shop."

I raised an eyebrow. "That's wrong on so many levels." I said.

Sakura's grin turned mischievous. "He's an idiot. You bring the flowers to the girl, not the girl to the flowers. By tomorrow, knowing Ino, the whole village will be talking about them." She rubbed her hands gleefully. I had the distinct impression of a fangirl shipping her two favorite characters together.

I looked down at her. "You know, Sakura, I could give Ino more to talk about."

Her eyes instantly widened, and her blush took on a different shade. "I-I'm not buying you ramen!"

That made me chuckle. "Of course not. My tastes are much more refined." I waited while she wrung her hands nervously. With a sigh, I continued, stepping closer. "What's wrong, Sakura? Why won't you just admit that you-"

"I don't know, okay!" she cried. My smile faded, replaced by a frown. "I… I'm not sure-I haven't decided yet!"

"Then why did you come to me yesterday? And before that, you let me-"

The kunoichi grabbed my collar and waved a fist at me, color draining from her face.

"Ino hears a word about that, you're _dead_! Got it?"

She really did frighten me sometimes. "W…Yeah-Sure, got it, understood."

"KENOBI!"

Naruto, my savior! He appeared at the other end of the street, hopping closer excitedly in his orange jumpsuit. Further behind, a girl clad in white robes slid back into the shadows.

As he got closer, his grin widened. "Got on the wrong side of Sakura again?" he chuckled.

The kunoichi glared at him, then pushed me away and turned her back to us. Naruto and I exchanged a glance. When she turned around again, her face was perfectly normal despite the eyes smoldering with anger.

"You two going to goof around any longer or are we climbing the tower?"

Naruto waved his hands as if to protect himself. "Yes, yes, sorry Sakura, you see I was busy with-"

"Shut up!" she snapped. She shot me an angry look and stomped up the stairs behind us.

"Sakura! Wait." She spun around and gave me her scariest glare. "I need to tell you and Naruto something."

Naruto frowned by the kunoichi simply placed her hands on her hips.

"Is this about about Itachi?" she asked. Naruto looked lost. I nodded slowly. "In that case, I know."

"You do?"

"Know what?!" the blond interjected.

Sakura nodded triumphantly. "Worked it out after writing the report. Been waiting for you to bring it up."

This brought a chuckle from me, much to Naruto's confused dismay. "In that case, this is going be much easier if you can help me." I turned to the last member of the trio. He was alternating bewildered looks between us. "You listen up now. I need you to take a decision."

* * *

"The Hokage will see you now."

Sakura smiled at Shizune and held the door for us. I followed Naruto into the office, closing my eyes to recall the speech I had prepared.

"Sakura?" Tsunade called. "And… you again."

I lined up next to the other two ninja, shooting a glance at the mound of scrolls stacked in a corner of the room before meeting her gaze. It carried anger, distrust, a hint of weariness... in any case, it chilled the room.

Sakura was the one to break the silence with a hesitant voice. "Umm. Tsunade, my teammate Kenobi here requested an audience to present… a certain problem he feels you should be aware of. Umm, I think-"

"Thank you Sakura, I'll take it from here." I removed my hand from her shoulder with a quick smile and cleared my throat before returning my eyes to the Hokage. She looked positively annoyed.

"As you may already know, Sakura and I engaged Itachi Uchiha after his attack on the village, during which we were able to recuperate Sasuke. The fight took place within the forest situation in the Nara domain, and I have-"

"I've read the report, thank you." Tsunade snapped. "Tell me something new."

"I was _getting to it_. This afternoon, I was able to inspect the site and I confirm something that Sakura and I suspected a while ago." Tsunade's lips pursed, ready for another reprimand. "Itachi is alive."

She instantly froze. Naruto was the one to speak this time.

"Grandma, Kenobi says Itachi is still alive, and I believe him. He could mean more trouble in the future." He turned to Sakura briefly. "Sasuke is still here; his brother could come after him again. I… won't allow that."

Tsunade frowned slightly before hastily reaching for a pile of scrolls. She unrolled a red one, scattering the rest.

"I… uh," Naruto continued. "volunteer to track him down and stop him from harming the village again."

There was a moment's silence while we waited for her to finish reading. Shizune shuffled closer to scattered scrolls and picked one up nervously. Tonton squealed. The Hokage's eyes snapped up at the sound, startling us.

"How will you find him?"

The blond turned to me. "Eh… Kenobi said he had a tracking jutsu."

Her sharp eyes turned to me. I cleared my throat under the combined gaze of the four persons in the office.

"I have a method for tracking Itachi. What'll need though is a detailed map of area-"

"No."

Sakura gasped. "Esteemed Hokage," I insisted. "My technique gives me the direction and distance, but I need a map to link them to a location of interest to our search."

"_No. _That is classified information, and I'm not giving you access to it. You're enough trouble as it is already."

I could hear Naruto's fists clench, and Sakura stiffen.

"Is there any other way-" I was interrupted again.

"Don't insist. I'm not letting you three out of the village until the current crisis is over, much less to hunt a member of the Akatsuki. You try anything, I'm assigning you to separate missions, you got it?"

The other two nodded grimly. I followed suit, mind already racing between plans. We were dismissed with a wave of her hand. The three of us bowed with tight faces, spun around and marched out the building. Just as we crossed the main gates, I made a rapid hand sign.

With a nod, we launched ourselves in different directions.

* * *

We met again at a familiar field at the edge of the village.

The sun was declining, dimmed rays making a shallow angle. Naruto, Sakura and I walked up to the tree stump marked by the Kyuubi's claws. Last time, we were divided by my lies. This time, we were united by a common goal.

Silently, they each unrolled the equipment in their backpacks on the flat surface in front of us.

"What did you find?"

"This is the copy I made from map in the hospital library for wild herbs in the region. It's the most accurate we'll get for the distance you mentioned." Sakura responded.

I turned to Naruto. He unloaded an armful of scrolls and school stationery. He turned to me with a determined expression. "So, Kenobi, how do we do it?"

"Wait." I raised a hand to stop them unloading what they had brought with them, and looked at each of the two in turn. "Naruto, Sakura, I've got some important information to share with you. I gathered it from Shikamaru, and Tsunade's own lapsus."

"Lapsus?"

I nodded. "She mentioned the Akatsuki, and keeping us inside the village. A Hokage doesn't use those words carelessly. The only reason I'd put the two together is if the group is moving to target us three… most certainly Naruto."

Naruto clenched his fists and looked down at the reminder of his status. Sakura lightly touched his shoulder.

"Shikamaru's information completes the picture." I continued. "This village needs ninja out on the field, not cooped up here. Tsunade would only be worried for you if they are targeting jinchuuriki. They'd only be considered a danger if they've succeeded at least once already. Asuma and Kakashi were pulled from their missions and sent somewhere else to deal with the threat, so…"

"High level shinobi for a high level threat." Sakura finished. "Kenobi, do you really think such a group would be after us?"

Naruto was growing frustrated, grinding his teeth. "If they're after me, what can we do? Sit here? That's not going to happen."

I resumed quickly to appease him, using a serious voice. "Naruto, you're being kept here to be defended from another attack like Itachi's. The rest of us are not exactly mobile either. I've got the Council to deal with in a week." I turned to my right. "We're not sending Sakura alone either."

The kunoichi stiffened, standing straighter. "But then…" she started. "How do we this then?"

She waved her hand at the map. I managed to grin.

"We'd have to bend the rules… for good reason."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. "Really? What would that be?"

Sensing a draft of wind, I shifted a metal compass onto the map to keep it from flying away. I spoke slowly, to make sure they took note of every word.

"With this, we'll find Itachi or one of the persons he met. Instead of simply" -I glanced at the blond- "dealing with him, we negotiate for information on the Akatsuki. He is a member, is he not?"

Sakura caught on first. "We would prevent him from attacking the village again, as well as obtain information to rid us of the terrorists for good!" She bit her lip thoughtfully. "At worst, it would be one or the other. Can we do it though?"

"Yeah!" Naruto's face brightened, but fell just as quickly. "The trouble would be in convincing him."

I nodded. "I see two options. Threaten him directly, or… use something he wants."

Both of their faces blanched. "Sasuke?"

Naruto stepped forward menacingly and dug a finger into my chest. "You better not start thinking like that. We're not touching Sasuke."

"Hey!" I pushed his arm aside. "I'm only laying out the options. You come up with something!"

"Calm down, boys."

We turned to her with sour expressions. She pointed at the scrolls and geometry tools laid out on the wood.

"Let's get on with this first, then argue what we do afterwards, okay?" Sakura waved her fist at Naruto, who had opened his mouth to protest. "You agree?!"

"Fine. Naruto, create the clones. Sakura, get the map ready. Try getting a grid running…" I made a quick estimation based on air quality, the sun's angle and the variations in terrain height. "Around three hundred kilometers in each direction."

At my feet, metal flowed into a widening circle. I extended the radius over 10 meters, to allow room for the experiment.

"Done!"

"Good. Put the blindfolds on. Sakura?"

"Nearly there."

I stepped onto the platform, smile tugging at my lips. They were so _dedicated_ when it came to saving their friends, protecting the village or simply defending each other. I cleared my throat and gestured to a group of orange-clad ninja.

"Well, I'm going up. Sakura… we'll communicate with the ear piece." She looked up from her work with a smile that moved my heart. "Take care." I whispered into her ear.

Laden with seven bodies, the platform cleared the ground, then started rising at an increasing pace. The Naruto clones watched the village gradually become smaller under us. Ten minutes later, they were shivering, knuckles white as they gripped the seats I had formed to accommodate them.

" H-hey Kenobi, how high did we say are we are going?" the original asked, worry evident.

I returned small smile. "Six… kilometers."

* * *

I didn't really have a technique that could track Itachi, and it was much less a jutsu. That was all lies.

The result would be the same, though.

An icy gust of wind stung my cheeks, throwing my cloak in front of me. The strong clap of the fabric was accompanied only by the slow, hollow breathing behind me.

"You holding up?" I cried, eyes fixed intently at the metal at my feet.

A Naruto tapped the platform weakly. He'd acclimatize to the altitude quickly, I thought. He's a superhuman ninja after all.

What I was going to do… was play the simulation for information it wouldn't normally reveal. Its computational power was finite, and I was going to push it to the limit.

"Okay then. We're nearly there." I shuffled forward until a splash of orange entered the edge of my vision. I gripped the shoulder and knelt in front of him. "Follow the instructions I gave you to the letter. One peek and it's all over, you hear?" Naruto, a clone or the original, nodded firmly. "Get into position then."

With a final tap, I crawled to the center of the platform to lie on my back. I closed my eyes, and using my sixth sense, levitated a piece of metal directly above me. Mental fingers shaped it into a concave disk: experience with the telescopes told me when it was perfectly smooth and reflective.

I breathed in… and out. Blocked out all senses but vision, ignored the unnecessary data streams.

"In position?" I transmitted to all their earpieces.

"We're ready!" six simultaneous voice answered.

"Counting down from ten." I tapped on the platform, feeling them tense, hands ready on their blindfolds.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Modern graphical engines are designed to optimize their use of computing resources. The less they use, the less they waste, then the more efficient they are. To do this, they cut corners. With a user as a center, only objects within a certain distance are drawn, usually as far as the person cany see. This is called the draw distance.

Within that distance, a second layer of optimization comes into play. Shadows, objects hidden from sight; everything that we cannot see directly are removed from the workload. Only after this is the graphical engine put to work on what remains.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

The same concept applies to simulated reality.

The universe I was in might stretch over millions of kilometers squared of land, but I could never see all of it at once. To reduce the workload, the computer that handled it simply refrained from drawing it. In fact, all that existed of the vast Naruto universe at that very moment was a comparatively tiny circle. The radius was the distance I could reasonably see if I climbed onto a rooftop: twenty kilometers.

I had placed myself at an altitude of six kilometers. The sky was clear and little to no dust limiting the distance the eye could see. The slanted sun illuminated the tops of hills and ridges clearly, extending the visual range even further.

For now, my eyes were closed. Nothing was being drawn, because there was no-one to see it. Simply speaking, the outside world did not exist until I opened my eyes.

However, if I looked down, the simulation would have to increase the draw distance from twenty kilometers to over three hundred in an instant. It would immediately have to create the remaining seventy thousand three hundred and thirty six kilometers squared of terrain for me to see.

This created a huge load on the computer… and when under stress, computers prioritize.

First would appear the areas most important to the simulation. Whatever I saw first would contain characters of the main cast. Itachi alone cost the simulation more to run than a thousand villagers, them being nothing more than the most basic of programs.

Four.

Three.

Two.

A final step was needed to push the computer to its limits. Normally, it would cut down on the quality to display what was needed in time, simultaneously and without lag. I had to force it to draw everything perfectly, down to the last painstaking detail.

One.

I pulled the trigger.

One after the other, magnetic fields collapsed, burst and destabilized the next in turn. Silently, they transmitted the signal over kilometers… all the way to a hidden training field deep in the forest. I felt them as little of flashes of light, a chain of pearls fading into the horizon. There, they met a star.

It was bright with magnetic energy, strong fields caught in gridlock and straining to expand in one direction or the other. Metal pillars revolved like planets around a dark sphere, humming with power.

The signal kicked the system alive. Fields expanded, slid past each other, resonated and amplified or cancelled each other out. The pillars trembled once, then fell to the center, pulled in by a monstrous force.

Milliseconds passed. A tiny electrical charge, held between two condenser plates found itself at the meeting point of a hammer and an anvil.

The sun went… supernova.

A tremendous magnetic pulse was released, an explosion of energy that bathed the surroundings for hundreds of kilometers. Water turned to ice, iron pulled into strings. Even at this distance my earpiece burst into a high pitched whine.

And the simulation… had to calculate the unnatural interaction of the magnetic pulse with every object it encountered. The workload spiked.

All six Narutos pulled the blindfolds, forcing the computer to draw the environment for as far as they could see, in all directions. He would never notice the difference, being part of the simulation himself. But when _I_ faced the concave mirror… I clearly saw the dark nothingness that surrounded my little island of reality.

In seconds, patches of terrain appeared. Trees, hills, buildings, barely discernible. Between them, seas of black. Then, that was filled in too.

I breathed out.

It was all over. A complete image was concentrated on the mirror above me. Flawless, unified… no different from the truth had I not witnessed _something_ create it, bit by bit, pixel by pixel, filling the void.

"Are you done yet?" Naruto's airy voice woke me from my thoughts. "Did it work?"

I wobbled to my feet and stepped up to him. "It did. Let's get to work now."

He nodded and dispelled his clones, gulping in air greedily. I bent down and opened the bag I had bought up with me. Out came a tape measure, a protractor, a compass, a strung weight and a meter stick.

"Hey Naruto." I voiced. He looked up from where he was kneeling, trying to catch his breath. "Look here."

With slow movements, I stuck the weighed string on the center of the curved mirror for a vertical reference. With my finger, I traced an arc towards one of the numerous nicks on the surface that marked the areas which had appeared first. I placed one of the ends of the meter stick flat against the dent, then used the protractor to measure the angle between the string and the stick.

"We do that for all of them, then send them down to Sakura."

* * *

"Two hundred and forty three kilometers, forty four degrees north east."

The kunoichi put down her quill on a page full of calculations and ink smears with a content sigh. I looked up from my own work.

"Does it point to anything on the map?"

"No." She wiped her brow with the back of her hand and glanced to her left. "The area is right in the middle of the forest, just inside the border-"

"How long until we get there?" Naruto interrupted.

Sakura sighed and traced a winding line with her finger. "If we want to avoid villages and outposts, we'll have to make several detours. I'd say a full day's travel. This is a _secret_ mission, right?"

"That makes…" He counted on his fingers. "…a four day mission. Two for travel, one to locate Itachi and one other to prepare for a fight."

"Looking forward to face him?" I asked with a small grin. The look he gave me was far from amused.

"If we negotiate, he'll want the only thing I'm not going to give him. So, yeah, it's going to be a fight."

I waved my hands dismissively. "Fine. There's still one problem though."

Sakura looked up from the storage seal she was tracing. "What is it?"

"There's still the issue of…" I nodded towards the Hokage tower. "…leaving the village without warning. There'll be problems when we return, or even before that, if they decide to search for us."

Naruto's expression darkened. "Search for me, you mean. Jinchuurikis stay on a leash."

"Me as well. Danzo's not losing me."

"Kenobi…" I turned to face Sakura's voice. "If we go on our own mission, we know the risks. However…"

"We fully accept them." Naruto completed.

My frown gave way to a smile under the aura of determination they both extruded. They were so alike when it came to these matters.

"I think the reward if we succeed is worth having to explain to the Hokage, don't you think?"

"Yeah!" the blond cried, standing up suddenly. "Let's go!"

"Whaoh calm down." I said, chuckling. "I see you don't have a problem visiting Ibiki's _workshop_ once we return." They shivered by their expressions stayed put. "We're not leaving right now, nor tomorrow."

Naruto looked crestfallen.

"First off, we need to prepare equipment and supplies for the mission without bringing attention to what we'll be doing, so it might take longer than usual. Second, we're going to have to create alibis which will last us four days, maybe more if we are delayed."

Both looked deep in thought, but Sakura's face brightened nearly immediately with a scary smile.

"Naruto," I continued. "You won't have any problems. No-one wants to know where you are but the ANBU. We can leave a clone for them." A painful shadow ran across the blond's face but he nodded nonetheless. "I can just head to the forest and lose anyone tracking me. As for you-"

"I'm running away!"

"Err…"

"What?!"

Naruto and I stared at her as if she'd grown an extra head. She pouted.

"Oh come on! My parents are really strict! Every time I'm off duty, I get loaded with chores and never have time to relax or do what I want. I've been trying to escape for years!"

Her words fell flat against our mute astonishment.

"It's only for a few days!"

Silence.

"Fine!" she scowled, kicking the dust. "I'll stay at Ino's."

We reprised our breathing and with a discreet nod, agreed to erase the memory from our heads. Sakura was not a girly teen with parent problems, she was a terrifying fist of fury. Slowly, as if fearing another outbreak of strange behavior, we picked up our belongings.

"Well then… I'll get going!"

With that Naruto jumped off into the night. Sakura followed with a final wave.

I looked up at the sky, shades of blue with a tint of red on the horizon. A virtual sky, painted with pixels by a machine.

"Goodnight Naruto, Sakura."

* * *

The tree stump mentioned here made its debut in chapter 7.

Kenobi used his own version of an Explosively-pumped Flux Compression Generator for the EMP pulse.

**AN: **I would like to personally thank** glenloc, glitter blizzard, Loteva **and everyone else who reviewed for their continued support. Special thanks too to** Narutorox, **the ever-active betareader.


	23. Part 7: Monsters

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

And here it is!

I broke my back to finish this as soon as I could. I think you all know how hectic exam week can be.

Speaking of backs, Kenobi breaks his several times. After reading this, don't break mine too! XD

Tomorrow, expect a bit of polishing up of the last 4 chapters for mistakes I've missed. Nothing worth re-reading though.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 7:**

**I- MONSTERS**

I rinsed the blade in the stream and, satisfied with the result on the mirror, stood up.

A pale blue light crept over the horizon. The forest was silent, still asleep. Today is the day, I thought. I collapsed the mirror and moved over to the pile of equipment I had acquired over the past two days.

Wire frame, protective plating and a stock of metal found their way around my limbs, followed by loose clothing. Once dressed, I took one last look at my cloak and threw it into the fire.

* * *

I was outside the main gates just as the sun rose. Standing behind a cluster of trees out of sight of the main road, I sat and waited.

An hour later, an elderly couple deviated from the road and henged back into Naruto and Sakura.

"How'd it go?" I inquired.

"No good morning, Kenobi?" Naruto said. I crossed my arms. "Whatever. You're always grumpy after we've left you alone for a while."

Sakura sighed and pushed him out of the way. "Hey. What he meant to say was that everything went to plan. He's keeping shadow clones of him and me to keep our cover up." She smiled. "Changing style?"

I looked down at my clothes with a smirk. "Green looks good on me. I had to lose the cloak though. If they search for me, it'd be too recognizable, and since they don't expect me to ever change my gear-"

"Huh?"

I frowned slightly. "You know… they expect me to keep the same outfit like everyone else does."

"What are you trying to say? We never change our clothes?!" Sakura retorted, hands on her hips.

"Well… Naruto's been in that same jumpsuit for months."

The blond's shoulders hunched further as he turned to sulk alone.

"Oh come on Naruto, don't say it's not true!"

He snorted. "You only want to talk to Sakura."

Sakura's eyes met mine and we sighed together. She raised her fist and bopped him on the head.

"That's because you've got nothing to say, idiot!"

The blond collapsed to the floor, rubbing his bruised skull. I stepped forward and caught her fist.

"Hey! I don't think you should hit him so hard, or so often…"

She stared back at me, defiant. "Since when do you care?" I let go of her hand. Naruto look up at me with puppy eyes. "How else do you think anything goes through his thick skull, huh?" she continued on a matter-of-fact tone.

I nodded thoughtfully. "Forgot that. You may continue."

The blue eyes turned hateful. I took care to hide the smile I shared with Sakura from him. I cleared my throat as the blond got up. Sakura reached inside her pouch and pulled a small scroll.

"I'm ready to go." I said. I looked over to Naruto.

The teenager nodded with a defeated expression. I raised an eyebrow at Sakura. There was a certain nervous energy to the two, the expectation of action rendering them jittery and their usual calming humor became violent and overdone. I needn't ask if she was ready.

The kunoichi placed two fingers on the edge of the scroll. With a puff of smoke, a larger scroll appeared. Well, _really_.

"I've stored a copy of the map here."

"You copied all of it?!"

She nodded, concentrating on the plot grid. "Our first stop is this outpost, in fifty kilometers. We'll wait and listen for a search order sent in our direction. If there is one, we'll know if we've been tailed."

Naruto stared at the series of stops leading to an X.

"Can't we just intercept the messenger?" I asked.

She shook her head. "This close to the village, they use radios."

We stayed silent for a few seconds. The tension in the air was tangible.

"This is it, right?"

I looked over at Naruto, at his fists clenched in his pockets, noticed the shivers despite the warm morning air. I cracked a smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. No words were needed. Soon his grin matched mine.

"Let's go!"

We leapt into the air.

* * *

The bush behind me rustled.

"Anything?" I asked.

The Naruto clone shook its head.

"Ah well, it's time. Tell Naruto to bring Sakura and meet up here. We're sticking to schedule."

"Hey! I'm Naruto!"

I turned away from my concealed position and gave the clone a long, hard look. Sullenly, it placed its fingers together and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Leaves and twigs whizzed past my ears. Strong sunlight pierced the canopy to illuminate a path through the trees. The two other members of the team were further ahead, jumping from one branch to another with practiced agility.

Suddenly, Naruto waved his hand at me. I activated the earpieces for a group conversation.

"What is it?"

"I think we're being followed."

I sped up to join Naruto alongside Sakura. Their expressions had turned grim.

"What do you know?" the kunoichi snapped.

"A clone we left behind dispelled a few seconds ago. He spotted" -jump- "ah, three Konoha ninja headed in our direction. They looked like jounin." He clenched his fists and faced Sakura in mid-air. "How's that possible? Nothing was sent to the last outpost we checked at!"

"It's probably an unofficial search. Either Danzo's men, or Tsunade."

"But-"

"Later, Naruto." she interrupted, voice serious. "We need to make sure that they're after us, and if we can escape them. How many seconds ago did you spot them?"

Naruto paused to count. "Six or seven."

"Four to five kilometers." I answered, before leaping from a moss-covered branch. "How can they track us from that distance?"

Her voice came first. "Smell or chakra sensing. They're the only things with a long enough range."

"Did you see any animals with them?"

Naruto shook his head.

It was my turn to think. "Listen up. If they're from Konoha, and not using an animal to track us, then it's got to be the Aburame. We can't escape them, nor can we get out of range of a good chakra sensor."

"Then…"

"We make sure they're after us" -"Another clone. Five seconds!"- "otherwise we have to confront them."

We kicked off in unison.

Naruto had a lopsided grin. "They're coming closer. Definitely ANBU."

I gestured towards the right.

"That side's closer to our route. Let's speed up and see if they follow."

"Hai!"

In the relative silence that followed, I realized that I missed the flapping of a cloak on my back.

* * *

"We' re lucky. It seems they didn't follow us."

"Let's stop then." I suggested.

We landed us one on the following branch, panting heavily. Without a refreshing breeze rushing over my face, I started to take notice of the climbing temperature of the forest air. Naruto slumped against the tree trunk while Sakura went to sit cross-legged, breathing measured. She rummaged for the map.

"We didn't deviate much from our planned route." she said.

"Ha!" the blond cried. "Sprinting for an hour and still on track! We're awesome."

I nodded, smiling at his energetic banter.

"Let's go!"

My smile dropped. That was _too much _energy.

"Hey Naruto, I think we should take a break. It's nearly midday."

"Hm." He crossed his arms and pouted to show us all how much he hated waiting. Seriously, he belonged in a circus.

I jumped down from the branch and started clearing a space on the forest floor, removing twigs and stones. I beckoned for them to do the same. Naruto maintained his impatient mannerisms.

"Don't you think you should open up that jumpsuit? It's getting awfully hot." I said.

Naruto glared at me for a second before they sparkled with malicious intent. He unzipped his black and orange jumper, revealing wire mesh underneath without hesitation. His hand then moved to point at me.

"What about you? That metal is warming up, isn't it?"

I grinned. Sakura's eyes moved between us with dread. "I suppose so."

My shirt was deftly removed. It did feel much cooler with some ventilation-

"NO!"

Naruto and I whipped around at the shriek.

"Not again!" Sakura continued. "Both of you! You're not getting out of your clothes again."

We stared in innocent confusion.

"Put the shirts back on _right now_."

* * *

The journey took longer than expected.

The sun had fallen by the time we neared the X on the map. Sakura's detours had lengthened the route, and the hot weather reduced the speed we could manage. Despite that, we were content to have arrived without a hitch. The three of us walked now through the undergrowth, taking care to be silent.

"How far is it now?" Naruto asked wearily. Running all day had finally put a dent in his reserves of energy.

"We can't be sure." Sakura answered. "With the precision we got, we could be standing right on top of the place right now. Kenobi, what exactly are we looking for?"

I faced them and sighed. "Anything. I just know someone was here, and could have moved by now."

"So you're telling me…" Naruto wailed. "We could have done all this for nothing."

Sakura's expression was sour too. I hurried to reassure them.

"Listen guys, this is the best we got. If we find nothing, we move on to the next spot, okay?"

Naruto simply groaned and shuffled ahead.

"Come on guys. It's nearly dark anyways. We won't find a thing like this, so let's just set up camp."

"Yeah, I'm too tired to do anything else today." Sakura agreed. She reached for her pouch and started unrolling the storage scroll.

Naruto perked up. "Let's go back to that stream. I want to wash up for a bit."

We nodded in agreement.

Soon, three tired ninja slept in a triangle around glowing embers.

* * *

My eyes rolled behind shut eyelids. Sleeping with a busy mind made an agitated body.

Magnetic energy flowed from my body, reaching out for the bright, imposing presence on the horizon. An electrical tingling sent a familiar pain up my arms. It had been days since I had felt it, my workaround effectively eliminating the need to generate strong magnetic fields.

As the temperature dropped, and my teammates' breathing became regular, I felt something else. It was not something physical, nor did it come from outside the simulation like my sixth sense. The sensation swelled up from inside of me. Dark, menacing, like poison.

It took me a long time to identify what it was. I had felt it before, in Orochimaru's lair, only now it was diluted and seeping _through_ me.

It was chakra.

My eyes immediately opened and I tensed, extending my senses to try and find any metal weapons in the vicinity. Seconds passed. The forest was perfectly still. A silent forest was worrying by itself, but at least it confirmed that nobody was near.

I quickly got up and moved to the closest sleeping bag. The fire had been put out long ago, and the thick canopy overhead blocked the moonlight, so in the darkness, I found my way by touch.

I patted my way up a slender arm and rocked the shoulder. Sakura blinked awake, but stayed silent and still, as she had been trained to do.

"We have to move." I whispered into her ear.

Her head scanned left and right before jerking away. She was out of the sleeping bag, armed with kunai in an instant. Her eyes glowed with a dim light.

"Orochimaru!" she hissed.

I activated the earpieces.

"I checked. Nothing's around but his chakra… we have to leave this place."

"Get Naruto." she replied in an urgent tone.

I shuffled to the left and searched for the blond. He was sprawled over his covers. I immediately set to slapping his cheek.

"Get up!"

The ninja snorted and rolled over. I scowled. This was an emergency; he'd understand later. I created two opposing magnetic fields… and rattled the metal against his eardrum between them. The result was deafening.

However, Naruto did not wake up. This wasn't possible. The sound was loud enough to be painful. I twisted around, trying to spot his bag in the pitch black darkness. If he wasn't going to wake up, I was going to carry him out of here.

"Hey Sakura." I transmitted. "Naruto's not getting up. Help me pack-"

I frowned.

"Sakura?"

A cold lump of fear settled in my stomach. She was not responding. I leapt to where I had left her. In the filtered moonlight, I found her slumped against a tree trunk wearing only her undershirt and shorts. The kunai had fallen from her fingers.

I grasped her and started shaking her. Panic seized me when she flailed limply in my arms, unconscious. What was it? Poison? Genjustsu? I had two magnetic accelerators ready. I moved them closer.

A blue flame caught my eye. It disappeared as I stood up. Seconds later, it flickered at a closer distance, accompanied by the sound of escaping steam. I couldn't evaluate how far away it was, and there were too many obstacles to shoot at it. After a moment's hesitation, I decided to abandon our belongings and escape with Naruto and Sakura. Preparing metal wires to attach the two, I bent down and-

A fist as wide as my chest slammed into me. The collision lifted me off my feet and sent me hurdling into the air. I stopped breathing. Wind whistled past my ringing ears.

I slammed into a tree. Wooden splinters rained over my head. I barely registered the hit over the buzzing alarm of pain.

My sore neck creaked to look up, searching for what had hit me. A grey blur shifted in front of me. I aimed and shot. A shower of splinters signaled its failure. The trees were in the way, and were too thick to be pierced. Grey and bright blue flashed before my eyes.

Metal plating clanged when I dropped out of the crater and hit the ground. I could feel the dent press against my chest. I had one shot left.

Thick, clawed feet landed in front of me. I had to do something! I scrambled my magnetic touch, reaching for something, anything to throw against my assailant while the second cannon zipped closer. Fingers wrapped themselves around my neck, like a living noose. Claws as sharp as dagger dug into my skin. I ignored the pain. Metal pooled into my fingers, forming a dagger. With the force of despair, I stabbed the arm. Again. And again. I felt my windpipe being slowly crushed, the air in my lungs becoming rarer.

I jammed the dagger into the leathery skin and magnetically extended it, digging deeper into muscles as hard as rock. A howl of pain rose from the creature's throat. My body was swung from the monster's fingers like a doll. The howl became a cry of rage, and with tremendous force it launched me back into the tree.

My back felt like the tip of a piledriver. It rested broken in a pit of crushed wood. My skin felt flayed, and blood dripped from the end of my nose. My lungs gasped for air, pushing against the mangled metal on my chest. Tirelessly, a grey piston arrived to drive me deeper into the tree. It became mechanical. I would reform the metal plates, strengthen them with magnetic fields, and the fist would plough into me, armor collapsing like a kicked soda can. Over and over I would ignore the numbing pain, the warm fluids trickling inside of me to turn my mind to finding a solution.

How do I get out of here? How do I retaliate? Why was I attacked? What is happening to Naruto? Where is Sakura?

A mighty crack resounded. Through the dead skin on my back, I felt to wood move, twist and begin to fall. Wood dust filled my lungs, a sweet smell that contrasted with the stench of sweat and blood. I felt myself being gently pushed out of the pit along with a cloud of splinters.

I hit the ground. The tree trunk behind me rolled to the side and fell. Darkness shrouded my eyes.

* * *

My eyes flickered open.

Waves of pain crashed against my skull. Through them, my body screamed for release from the weight that pinned me down.

I clawed the soft earth and forced air into my lungs. Out came dust, blood and the acidic taste of fear.

I looked around. The fallen tree had cleared a circle in the canopy, and gentle moonlight illuminated my team's campsite.

For the first time, I saw the monster in its entirety. It was a hulking figure, skin thick and grey wrapped around limbs as thick as logs. The hands were massive and webbed, and bony structures extended from the forearms and back. Its face was feral. Yellow pupils rimmed with black darted left and right as it snorted restlessly. Despite the tension in its body, it did not attack, for its master was here.

I peered into the shadows behind my assailant. A thin figure emerged from the woods, gait calm ad measured. It was man; his mane of light grey hair tied into a ponytail. Details emerged as he walked closer to the light. A pair of glasses flashed in the moonlight, a smug grin plastered over the pale face I now recognized.

"Kabuto."

The medic-nin halted.

"Good afternoon." he said politely, following up with a short bow. "I don't think we've met before."

I scowled and spat into the dirt. "What are you doing here?!"

"Oh, nothing to be alarmed about. I'm here on business. You?"

I would have done anything to wipe that irritating smile off his face as he adjusted his glasses.

"Don't fuck with me!" Kabuto stepped towards Naruto and crouched next to him. "Get away from him!"

The monster flinched at the scream.

"Please do be quiet. We don't want to disturb their sleep, do we?"

I clenched my fists and pushed against the ground. The mass of wood on top of me did not budge. As I struggled, I watched a length of rope appear in Kabuto's hands. To pass the time, he started talking to himself.

"I'm sorry for inconveniencing you. I really am. You've intrigued me from the day you appeared. No record, anywhere. A challenge for my informants, I must say. I must thank you, though." He pulled the knot tight and moved to the feet. Naruto snored peacefully. "Maki Kenobi, is it? Without you, this would never have been so easy. Konoha's jinchuuriki, delivered right into my hands. I expected much more from you though. To defeat Itachi is no mean task. I wonder how you did it… Aha! I'm done here."

Kabuto stood up, a bound and gagged ninja at his feet. I pushed harder against the fallen tree, metal wires digging into my skin and leaving anew trail of blood. He raised two fingers and activated a seal. A cloud of smoke later, Naruto disappeared.

The man cleared his throat.

"I'll be leaving shortly. There is however… one last thing to take care of."

My breath hitched.

"No…no no no." I muttered. I poured magnetic energy into the metal wires. I had to get out before-

His silken smooth voice crossed the campsite clearly. "I wonder though… how much of a waste it would be. Such a promising ninja…" He turned to face me. "Don't you think?"

"Get away from her." I snarled.

The medic-nin crouched by Sakura's side, moonlight making his glasses gleam. The kunoichi slept peacefully, and did not react to his hand on her cheek.

"How about I take her with me?" he whispered. His fingers slid over her skin slowly, travelling in deliberate movements down the side of her face to caress her neck. "She'll be safe. I promise to take good care of her."

If looks could kill, mine was slaughter. I put _everything_ into my words. I didn't sound like myself anymore. Kabuto's glasses shattered and collapsed into a ball of mangled metal. "Don't you _dare _touch her, snake shit."

His hand froze. The man looked at what remained of his glasses on the ground and dropped all pretense at cordiality. "You shouldn't have done that." His head twisted backwards to reveal the crazy grin of a madman. "These were precious to me."

I shuddered. This was the real Kabuto; the sick, sadistic and unfeeling man that performed experiments on live humans.

"I see it in your eyes, Kenobi. She's precious to you, and we all like to have our precious things intact, don't we?"

My heart pounded in my chest. I strained my eyes to see what he was doing. There was a flicker of chakra and he stood up.

Kabuto pocketed his glasses. Illuminated by a shaft of light, he licked his index finger with a sickly smile. Behind him, Sakura slept peacefully. A torrent of blood rushed from her neck.

"Kill him, Juugo." he ordered, before walking back into the shadows.

* * *

The forest was silent. There was no wind to rustle the leaves, not animals calling to each other. My own heart was silent. All I could do was watch, pinned like a bug under this tree, as her life drained out of her neck.

Her blood. It formed a black stripe down her white shirt. I could not tear my eyes away, my mouth gaping and dry.

Instinctively, my lungs expanded and exhaled. I had not been born to breathe. I had not been born to love. But why did I do so? What was this pain in my chest that I could not block or ignore, that was forced upon me like the necessity to beat my heart?

Sakura shuddered, hand scratching the dirt, searching for something. Her eyes were still closed and yet she reached for her neck, grimacing in pain. Something had broken the genjutsu.

I then realized why I still pushed against the tree, why I forced air into my labored body, the reason behind fighting instead of fleeing. Sakura was not dead. She was _dying_, and that made all the difference in the world.

My eyes darted to the approaching monster. I could use it. I gave a last look at the kunoichi. She had stopped moving about. Her head slumped against her chest, shirt now more black than white.

I siphoned metal away from my metal plating and down my arms. Forming hooks, I dug them into the splintered edge of the tree trunk.

Juugo, as it was called, let out a fierce roar and _lengthened_ its nails. It was going to move in for the kill. I only had one opportunity to save her.

It launched itself forward, leaving behind a shower of dirt. I held tight on the hooks. I perceived every movement clearly. The clawed hand rising, the mane of orange hair backlit by jets of chakra flame. When it felt right to do so, I pulled.

Sliding lengthways under the fallen tree was easier than lifting it. When the monster's claws struck, they ripped through wood instead of flesh.

Now only a short piece of wood weighed on my back, split off by the hit. I sprung away from the ground. The monster's yellow eyes followed me. Muscles rippled under its skin as it prepared to follow me.

I sharpened the metal in my hands into two spikes. There was not time to defeat Juugo. I had to get past it to get to Sakura.

Using magnetic fields to maneuver, I landed and accelerated away from another swipe of its claws. Juugo attacked with feral velocity, five knives on each hand slicing the air in wide arcs.

I kicked off the tree behind me and rolled over him. With the reflexes of a wild beast, it twisted around lacerating cloth and metal before I regained my footing.

The monster paused, transfixed by the armor I wore. Its right hand suddenly grew in size, inflating and losing shape. In moments, the claws gave way to a massive fist, built to bludgeon. A mocking smile twisted its lips.

The hammer rushed towards me. My magnetic acceleration barely got away in time. Juugo twisted around, building speed for crushing backhand strike. Instead of dodging, I ducked. I gripped my spikes and lurched forwards. Both legs, built like pillars, were ahead of me. I stabbed and rolled under them.

The monster buckled under its own weight. It didn't even bleed red. With a grunt, it lunged at me and collapsed.

I immediately felt the weight of my injuries as I got up. The broken ribs, the tortured back, the stinging cuts running across my limbs, but most of all, the lightheaded dizziness that came from internal bleeding. Juugo rose to his knees, massive arms supporting his weight. Just then, the linear accelerator entered the clearing made by the fallen tree.

I aimed it as it sailed through the air overhead. Without hesitation, I unlocked the release mechanism and let the cascade of magnetic fields slam into the dart. It was an execution. The metal struck like a lightning bolt, spearing straight down to the ground with Juugo being a mere obstacle.

The monster looked up at me, fist-sized hole steaming from its back. It coughed blood once, then yellow pupils turned blank.

I spat on the ground and hopped towards Sakura without another look back.

With trembling fingers, I took her into my arms. She was thin and frail, shivering in the night air. Blood was everywhere. On her hands, on her neck, her shirt drowned in it and stuck to her skin.

Carefully, I inspected the wound. The carotid was completely severed. It was an impossibly perfect cut, something no blade could achieve. Her heartbeat was weak and irregular, each pulse pushing out more of the blood that remained. I couldn't even give her from my own blood. All I could do was stem the flow.

I straightened her back against a tree trunk, placed both hands on her wound and went to work.

First I had to close the artery then I had to bring blood back to her head and heart before she died. Before she died. I shook my head and concentrated on preparing a thumb sized length of metal. I scraped the surface and hollowed the interior until I obtained a tube as thin-walled as I could manage.

Next came the delicate part. I inserted my index into her neck and hooked it around one end of her artery. I pulled it out and inserted the tube. Hot blood flooded the wound, and I proceeded by touch and memory. I plugged the upper end over the tube, then sealed the two halves together with a ring of metal. I stapled the injury shut.

With that done, I rested her on the ground. The metal plates on my back were sacrificed without another thought. I strung the metal into wires which I wrapped around her legs, starting from her ankles and moving up. With each loop, I created a new magnetic field to hold it against her skin as tightly as possible.

Suddenly, a wave of magnetic energy washed over me. A slight smile moved my lips. The connection had finally been established. The wiring sped up immediately.

"Come on Sakura." I muttered. "We're getting out of this together."

I made no effort to conceal the worry on my face. I wasn't doing this for her; it was for me. I needed her to stay alive because I couldn't bear to face my days in the simulation without her.

The final loop of metal wire ended against her hip. The pressure would force whatever blood there was in her lower limbs up her body and back to her brain. I stretched a new length of wire and began looping it around her wrists.

A low growl interrupted me. I turned to look back at the defeated monster. It now staggered on its feet again, eyes burning in my direction. The spikes in its legs had fallen out, and the conical pit in its chest had been filled up. I returned to the kunoichi in front of me. Her eyes flickered open and she looked around, confused.

"Keno-bi…" she muttered.

My heart leapt with joy. "Stay still, Sakura. You've lost a lot of blood." I whispered back.

I glanced back to the monster. It sported murderous grin as it trudged towards me. I understood just then. It was human once. Orochimaru's experiments had simply turned him into a wild beast, sanity being the cost of power. His eyes sparkled not with hunger, but with hate.

I spooned my arms under Sakura and lifted off.

* * *

"Shhhh listen to me. You're in no condition to move!"

I placed her upright against a tree trunk and strapped on the branch with loops of metal wire.

"Wh-what is happening Kenobi?" She clutched her head, which rolled dangerously. "I don't feel too well."

My hand gently held up her head from under her chin. I held her gaze until her half-shut eyes focused on me.

"We've been attacked. You've been gravely injured; I need you to use all your strength to heal yourself. Stay put and don't move, understood?"

Her arms tensed weakly at my words. Her pale hand moved to her neck, eyes widening.

"How did I get-" She looked around frantically. "Where's Naruto?"

I looked away. All this was my fault. She gripped my shoulder. I slipped out of her hold and dropped off the branch. My feet landed on a platform in mid-air.

"Kenobi!" she cried.

I ignored her and sped away. I had something… no, someone to deal with.

* * *

It wasn't hard to locate Juugo. All I had to do was follow the sound of crashing trees.

"Hey!" I shouted.

The grey monster appeared in front of me, spraying dirt as he halted. Black and yellow bored into me.

"Take me to wherever Kabuto's hiding, and I won't fight you."

I tried to sound fearless, but my voice was muffled by the still air. Moonlight filtered through the new holes in the canopy, caught by the rising clouds of dust to give an eerie glow to the scene.

"You understand me, don't you?"

The creature did not answer. Instead, it slowly raised its hand to its chest, and dipped a claw into a hole in the center. After tracing the contour of the scar, whatever humanity was left in him smiled, revealing his fangs. Juugo, like all animals, never forgot pain.

I nodded grimly and tensed for a fight. There was a man under that beast, but I had to kill him nonetheless.

Juugo moved. Three darts sliced the air behind him.

His clawed feet dug into the soil to change direction. Two darts imbedded themselves in his skin. I leapt backwards, on top of a collapsed tree, and liquefied the armor on my limbs. Torrents of magnetic energy flowed through me, splitting the flowing metal into individual lumps then sharpening them into deadly projectiles. I felt no pain. I didn't have to stop. Darts formed as fast as I could think them into being, levitating to join a growing cloud in front of me.

I saw the blue flames surge in front of me. Juugo charged. I met him with a hail of darts. The sharp points accelerated towards him in a relentless stream. They reached speeds I had never pushed them to before.

However, it was not enough to put down the monster. Once the dust cleared, I found him crouching behind a shield extending from his forearm. Hundreds of pits marked where I had hit, deeper and wider where they were grouped together.

A mane of orange hair rose from behind the shield. I looked away from the hateful eyes and concentrated on my next attack.

One by one, the metal extracted itself from his body with wet suctions. The skin was too thick for the darts to penetrate, even with the new speeds I pushed them to.

Juugo howled with pain, climbing to his feet and crouching for another charge.

Jets of chakra flared from the pipes on his back. Claws gripped the soil. He looked up. A meter long spear met him between the eyes.

It had taken me all of a second to charge the linear accelerator. I released the energy it contained. Juugo's hands blurred.

The sonic boom rolled over the forest, sending up a new cloud of dust. Magnetic energy still flowed plentiful in my hands. Despite the confidence the power I had prepared for weeks gave me, my breath hitched at the result of the attack.

Three red-hot rings cast an ominous glow within the haze. The dark length of metal I had fired was held between two clawed hands. The tip extended down and through his shoulder, slickened by dark blood. Juugo had caught the projectile and deflected it at point blank range. His hands were on fire.

With a grunt, the grey creature pulled on the spear and threw it aside. I stared in disbelief as the hole started to close up. Damn it. Did Orochimaru grant a regeneration perk to all those who joined him?!

My opponent was a tank. I had to up the damage. He did not however wait for me to get ready.

The flames flared for a third time, and I had nothing to stop him. The monstrous mass ploughed forward, ramming aside tree trunks like twigs. Metal swirled in front of me as quickly as I could shape it.

He was too fast. I jumped just as his fist reduced the wood under me into a shower of splinters. I landed with a roll and looked behind me. Juugo was using his chakra jets to slow down and redirect his momentum.

I hopped up, landing on my platform. I quickly rose above the pile of broken trees, clearing the canopy. Something made me turn back. I had to defeat the creature before it found Sakura. If I kept too much of a distance, it'd lose interest in me.

As I descended back into the clearing, I immediately sensed something was wrong. There was no sign of Juugo.

I looked around, wary. I finished reforming a magnetic cannon and held it close, ready to fire. The canopy shook. My eyes darted left. In the shadows, chakra flared. A tree trunk arced through the air, swung like a bat by the monster's impossible strength. It hit me square on, swatting me out of the sky and into the ground.

He was upon me before I recovered. I rolled instants before his fist pounded the dirt. I crouched and flipped over the swipe of his claws. I sought to distance myself. Instead, I was batted aside.

My back crashed against a tree trunk. An explosion of pain cut off my senses. I frantically tried to re-establish a connection. Timing. I felt I had to move. The tree trunk transmitted the vibrations from the hit that would have pulverized me.

Seconds later, my eyes opened again. A blurred image of my opponent roared with frustration in front of me.

I staggered to a stand. I looked to the left. Juugo's gaze followed mine. He twitched. The meter-long spear imbedded itself in his stomach from the side, catching his left arm with it.

I held my breath, wary of the result. That hesitation delayed my reaction long enough for his claws to find their way around me and grip me tight.

My armor groaned under the strain. I spread the metal plates in a ring around my chest, and countered the pressure with magnetic force. Blood had already stopped flowing from his wound. Just what fuelled this monster?

A second shot was ready. Juugo felt the change in the hum of the accelerator rings and gripped tighter. His right arm was slowly sliding away from his side, leaving a trail of dark fluid on the spear.

The bang was deafening. The rings were already hot, the acceleration rough but at this distance, it did not matter. A rush of warm air cleared the dust.

The second spear dug a hole under his armpit slanted upwards, tip poking out of the top of his right shoulder. I grimaced at the howl of pain Juugo let loose. His fingers, however, were relentless. With a mind of their own, they tightened their grip further. Breathing was becoming difficult. I had to balance my own protection with the recharge of the cannon. Anything else would divert power.

I turned my head to the left. The recharge was taking unusually long… even if they glowed with orange fury, the rings could hold magnetic energy and fire again. The answer hit me along with a wave of electric pain.

My reserves had been depleted. I couldn't generate enough force by myself to counter both Juugo's crushing hold and recharge the accelerator.

I made my choice. The rings dropped to the ground. Wood dust and splinter immediately burst into flames from the heat. Illuminated by hellish red and yellow, Juugo's face sprouted a smile. His right arm freed itself from the spear, shoulder muscles ripped without care as his hand approached my face.

Jagged claws closed around my head. I felt the tip of the daggers draw blood. I couldn't move. If I diverted magnetic energy anywhere else, my chest would implode.

"SHANNARO!"

I felt myself rising into the air, claws trailing over my skin before being left behind. I landed with a weight still around my chest.

I opened my eyes. Juugo's dead fingers were still wrapped around me, attached to what remained of his forearm. I pried myself out of their grip and staggered to my feet. Several more of my ribs had snapped.

My gaze shifted to the shadow in front of me.

When I lifted my eyes, my heart melted.

Sakura stood, arms raised in a taijutsu stance, dancing flames turning her pink hair a shade of red. Black blood still stained the thin shirt she wore.

"Sak-" I gulped in smoke, my throat feeling dry. "Sakura!"

She turned around at my voice. Green emeralds shone back at me, her teeth bared. I scrambled to get to her but fell to my knees, coughing out blood. The kunoichi charged in my place.

Juugo tried to grab her, but she ducked out of reach. His left arm swung uselessly, spraying blood. Sakura dived into the opening. A thunderclap followed the strike. The creature was sent flying, knocking down a tree where it landed.

I tried reaching for the spears imbedded in him, but a spike of pain ended my efforts. I had burnt out my nerves pushing against Juugo's grip. I felt useless.

Something whistled through the air. I twisted to look up. Followed by a rain of leaves and branches, an ancient oak swung down like a hammer. Sakura reacted quickly. Gathering her own immense strength, she raised her own tree trunk and blocked.

The result was an explosion of splinters and crushed wood, irregular planks flying sky high. I raised my arms to protect my face. Sakura weathered it, arms spread and stance low.

I understood why only after a dull thud rocked the ground. Juugo's jets roared into action as he pressed all of his weight down. Sakura remained steadfast, her thin arms holding up to his might. The two, locked in a wrestling contest, exchanged pure fury through their eyes.

It happened before I could react. The kunoichi, crying out her rage, gained the advantage. Soil rumbled at her feet, sliding with her as she stepped forward, pushing against Juugo's regenerated arms in an epic contest of strength. She faced however, a more experienced fighter. He cut of his jets and fell backwards. Instead of pushing, he pulled.

He pulled her over him, and sent her flying with a gut-wrenching kick.

A red haze veiled my eyes. Sakura struck a tree and slumped to the roots. Without knowing how, I found something long, sharp and metallic in my hand. Juugo was on the ground in front of me.

I launched myself forwards. I lifted my weapon high and put all of my weight into it. My fall brought with it a world of pain to my chest and back. It did not matter. I looked up. I had sunk the spike into his eye and deep into the brain.

* * *

I shuffled through the broken wood to where she had landed. There was no pain. There were no broken bones and aching muscles. All that mattered was the tiny pulse in my ear that had stopped beating.

I dropped next to her, hands trembling with worry as I checked her heartbeat. Under the cold, pale skin, I felt nothing.

"No, this can't be happening." I mumbled. Fighting Juugo was nothing compared to the fear that gripped my heart right now. It was ice cold, it was the prospect of losing her for a second and last time.

My fingers scrambled to lay her on her back and start pumping on her chest. I pumped with the energy of despair.

After what felt like an eternity of horror, I felt her heart pound back at my palm. I rushed to open her mouth and clear the airway. She spluttered against my face and opened her eyes.

Never had I gone from such dark despair to pure elation in a matter of seconds.

"Sakura! SakuraSakuraSakura don't do that again to me."

"I'm here, Kenobi." I felt her hand grip mine, gripping tight to end my trembles. "I'm here."

I lost my gaze in her eyes. She had soot stains on her cheeks, dried blood running down her neck, pieces of wood stuck at the end of scar trails and her hair was a dirty mess, but she was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen. I kissed her.

We parted our lips too quickly.

"Help me get up." she croaked.

I helped move her back against a fallen tree. Despite the air warmed by the fire raging behind us, she wrapped her arms around her chest. I frowned for a second before realizing that all she wore was a wet shirt.

"Here, take mine."

I pulled my shirt off and handed it to her. I had to keep her warm; she had lost a lot of blood. In fact, she shouldn't even be standing. I turned my shirt around and noticed the ragged hole in the back, nothing remaining of the fabric but bloody edges.

"Never mind. How did you come?" I asked, ignoring the throbbing pain in my chest as I spoke.

She waved her hand weakly. She had looked so different when she faced Juugo. "Woke up, healed myself and followed you. I can't regenerate blood cells, only plasma, so it'll take a while before I can fight again."

"Me too." My voice was becoming wheezy. "I've gathered my energy and stored it into several containers. I've used up one of them right now. I'll need a few minutes to move it here." I rose shakily to my feet. "I'll go get some clothes before you freeze."

"Where's Naruto?"

I shut my mouth and looked away. Her intense stare forced me to answer. "Kabuto took him. We have to get him back."

"What do you mean he _took _hi-"

I crouched under a tree trunk lying on its side and continued walking. We had to get Naruto back. I had put him and Sakura in the situation, injured them and put them in danger. It was up to me to get them out of it again.

The campsite had not been touched. The sleeping bags were still open, barely visible in the shadows. The moon was not visible, but a faint blue glow permeated through the leaves above.

My hands found a backpack.

I unclipped it and searched for my bundle of clothing. The other two had sealed theirs.

Suddenly, I heard a twig snap.

I peered into the darkness between the trees. A pair of yellow eyes glowed dimly. Behind it, two more. On the right, another monster approached. I twisted around, heart beating again.

I grabbed the bag and ran back to Sakura.


	24. Part 7: Ready?

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

I'm getting slower. I love all the support you're giving me, but I can't keep up with the weekly updates.

Therefore, I am very sad to announce that this fic will now be updated three times a month instead of four. The extra three days of writing per chapter will do wonders for my schedule, and will prevent having to update with shorter chapters like this one.

On a happier note, I've decided to go back through all the chapters so far and well, do some editing. I've read some at random and found too many missing words and cut off phrases for comfort (there should be none). Slowly, I'll polish them one by one. I do have a short message for my reviewers though: If you spot a mistake or something you do not like, I will not be offended the least bit that you point it out and criticize me for it. On the contrary, you'd be helping me.

This one for example. It's fresh off the writing pad and made it just in time for the Tuesday update. 4.5k words I have yet to review deeply enough. If you find something, notify me and I'll correct it ASAP.

Cheers!

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooo

**PART 7:**

**READY?**

I landed on the branch, studded soles digging into the wood.

"Sakura! Get up, we have to go."

The kunoichi shifted her glowing palms away from her chest and tried to stand up. She assumed a wobbly footing on the wood. I threw the backpack I held at her.

"Kenobi, what's thi-"

A wild howl, wolf-like and hungry, resounded too close for comfort.

"There are more of those things. We need to get out of here _now_." She stared at me for a second before deftly slipping the bag onto her back. "Come, I'm carrying you."

She opened her mouth to protest. The crack of a tree being split in two made her give up on whatever she had planned to say. I crouched in front of her. With a scowl, she crossed her legs around my stomach.

"Hold on tight."

A thin oval of metal stretched in front of my feet. With a final glance over my shoulder, I stepped onto it and accelerated through the trees.

* * *

The wind buffeted my ears as branches shrouded in shadow zipped past. I swerved between the trees as fast as I could, sometimes shielding my head with my arms when clipping a cluster of leaves. It was more difficult than I expected.

A sudden drop under an unexpected obstacle made Sakura's forearms grip tightly on my throat. The warm healing chakra in my chest disappeared.

"Hey-Sakura, let go." I transmitted over the wind.

Instead, her choke tightened.

I heard her worried voice in my ear. "They caught up! I see them right under us."

Shit! I looked around frantically, trying to spot the yellow-eyed monstrosities.

"Where?!" I hissed.

I felt her hands grasp my skull and twist it down to the left. My eyes widened. Sakura had pointed me towards a fleeting shadow, all spikes and horns and claws of nightmarish length ripping their way through the undergrowth. My eyes shifted further up. A hideous collection of knives and blades hurdled from branch to branch, each leap accompanied by a jet of blue chakra. Turning the other way, I spotted three more on the other side.

"We can't face them." I shook my head at her words. "Can you go any faster?"

I saw her white knuckles grip the fabric on my shoulders in the corner of my eyes. Further ahead, a circle of pale daylight pierced the canopy.

"I can, but not through these trees." I tapped her knee before letting go of it to point ahead. "I'm going up over there." I waited for her confirmation while I weaved away from the grey creatures. "Give me your kunai and shuriken."

"Huh? Here." She reached for pouch.

I shook my head. "No, give me everything. Summon all of them, now!"

I could imagine the frown on her face as she unrolled a scroll into the wind. She didn't understand why I asked this of her, but she trusted me enough to comply. The thought made me happy. She was still here, and I could drag her out of this mess.

Her fingers hesitated, touching the ink.

"Throw them into the wind. Quickly!"

Sakura inserted chakra into the seal. Immediately, a series of rapid-fire detonation released a fountain of smoke. We quickly left it behind, trailing instead a cloud of sharp metal. I extended my magnetic touch and reeled them all in, crushing them, flattening them and incorporating them into the metal platform. The increased cross-section would catch more of the magnetic fields that powered it, giving the boost I needed.

"Hang on!"

In an instant, we transitioned from the shadows to the sky above. A broken orange line announced the sun. Had it been that long already? I gulped in the fresh breeze and prepared to-

A bright blue blaze lightened the sky behind me. I twisted around, throat already dry. They couldn't possibly follow me up here, surely? My eyes widened at the sight.

Mounted on top of a pillar of flame, a monster rose into the air. Bony protuberances extended from both sides of its spine. Nestled under each of them was a nozzle. I saw the creature bare its teeth, whatever sound it made lost to the wind. Suddenly, the bones on its back flared into wings, grey skin stretched taut between them. The nozzle melted into a new shape.

I accelerated. It followed.

"He's getting closer!" Sakura cried. "Three hundred meters."

I cursed and pushed more energy into the magnetic field. Pain shot up my arms, making them spasm. I closed my eyes against the sensation and clenched them tighter around her legs. The platform shot forward in response.

"Two hundred meters!"

My eyelids parted into slits to face the buffeting winds. Inside my head, I scoured for flying experience. The monster was propelled by his chakra rocket, and kept airborne by the use of stiff wings. Without any control surfaces, it would have to use its wings to change direction. That meant trading lift for turning ability.

My magnetic fields could push in any direction. Gritting my teeth, I used my sole advantage. I banked and rose simultaneously.

The monster tried to follow. With a glance backwards, I saw it rage and swipe with its claws as it started losing altitude. I heard Sakura sigh with relief as it gave up and crashed into the treetops. Apparently, it could not brake either. I kept on rising, wondered just what had pushed our assailants airborne, where they were simply not suited-

A shadow. A silver mass crashed into my back. Muscles filled my vision before an arm wrapped itself around my skull. I ducked before I was trapped in the hold. Claws tore into my flank. I twisted around and punched blindly. My fist met rock. The monster's retaliation caved in the armor on my stomach.

I staggered backwards until I reached the tip of the platform, my feet held down magnetically. I opened my eyes. This monster was short and silver colored. Its smooth skin looked bare without the array of spikes and bony protrusions its brethren displayed. Bird-like feet hooked it onto the board. The look in its eyes was far from feral. They were intelligent… malicious.

It attacked.

A vicious set of claws arced towards me. I hopped backwards, balancing on one foot. The monster crouched and spun. Its wings extended like bladed fans, slicing the air. I jumped backwards, feeling light. I gasped just as the wires on my legs were attracted back to the platform. Without wasting a single instant, I launched myself to the ground.

Harsh wind whistled against my face. The monster behind me roared, clinging onto the platform. I ignored it. Pain intensified, rushing up my arms and numbing my nerves as I accelerated towards the treetops. I could see the grey beasts climbing the branches, reaching up for…

Sakura!

I spotted her, falling. I had seconds to play with. Instant decision. My wire frame tore through my clothes. The metal shot forwards, twisting into two ropes. I directed them to my target. Instinctively, I knew that I three seconds left. I could already hear the jeering hisses.

Three.

The wires looped around her body.

Two.

With all my strength, I pulled. Each zap of pain, each fried nerve ending slowed her descent. I did not feel her move against her bounds. Fearing the worst, I spread the loops to straighten her neck.

One.

She hit the canopy and disappeared.

I looked down.

A tree rushed towards me, like a green spear. Several grey figures writhed within the leaves, claws extended, arms outstretched… My magnetic touch reached for the ropes. She was safe.

I smiled.

* * *

Blood. Pain. Darkness.

Alive.

I coughed out soil wet with my blood. My entire body felt like it had passed through a cheese grater. I tried getting up. The bones in my right arm grated against each other, poking against a purple patch on my skin. Broken. I brought a knee up and stood.

A heavy mass landed behind me. Claws sung in the air. I ducked and rolled to the side. Burning yellow eyes followed me, carving troughs into the dust. One lung strained to pump air into my chest. Blood gargled in the back of my throat. My muscles burned, no longer supported by the wire frame. It was under my own power that I jumped at the monster. Its arms grazed my feet. A short blade appeared in my hands. I brought down. It pierced its neck, travelling deeper and deeper until my palm slammed against the collar bone.

I fell to the ground, rolling and panting. I looked at my palm. There wasn't enough metal for a handle to the blade.

I heard two more thuds. I looked up. Identical monsters growled in my direction, throwing curious looks at the one fallen in front of me. Their gaze turned fearful once they saw the pool of blood spreading from the corpse.

Suddenly, their eyes turned blank. They fell in line and raised their hands simultaneously. Kabuto. He controlled them completely. I rose to a crouch and prepared for a fight. I couldn't run. Not with Sakura hidden behind me.

The creatures blurred in a blaze of chakra flame. Just then, magnetic energy flooded my body. The blade in the fallen monster's body burst out. I aimed at the one of the right. The metal _splashed_ against its head, solidifying and ripping it off. I raised my arms.

A wave of hot air and brute force pinned me against a tree. I could feel the creature's claws inside of me, gripping the ribcage and… lying still. The dead hand slid out, coated red. My neck creaked to lift my head. A metal spear pinned the second assailant through the neck to the wood above me. Black fluid rained down on my hair. I yanked the spear out, severing the neck in the process. The body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

My eyes wandered around, focusing randomly at blades of grass, crushed wood, the pool of blood expanding at my feet… I felt so very tired. Each rasping breath sounded so very loud in my ears. Eyelids… dropping… so slowly… so sleepy…

No!

I was getting her out of this.

I rose. I pushed myself up with all the rage and self-loathing I could muster. Blood sprayed out of my nose, filling my mouth with an overwhelming coppery taste.

My feet sunk into the soil mechanically. It was after all a machine, and when damaged, they worked at reduced performance but still _moved_. I too was a machine. My feet dragged forwards, stumbling as I let go of the tree trunk. If I failed, I was a machine that could not complete its task. If not… then the feelings in my heart would live, and I would be human.

A splash of pink hair appeared ahead of me. Her body was surrounded by a halo of leaves, twigs and broken branches. The rope that surrounded her slithered towards me, coiling itself around my arms like a loyal pet.

There was so much power at my command, but the body was too weak to follow my orders. I reached with mental finger towards the sky. The platform still floated aimlessly. I brought it down. It arrived in a split second, blasting the ground with air, scattering leaves and raising a cloud of dust.

I arrived in front of her. She looked so beautiful. Her eyes were closed peacefully, her pale cheeks illuminated by the first rays of the sun. My eyes wandered down her body. Anger sparked at the visible cut on her neck, and only grew as it followed the trail of dried blood that clung to her chest. Kabuto had did this to her. No, I had did this to her. I arrived at her hands, and found them clenched around a strap. Attached to the strap was a pouch filled with scrolls. Conflicting feelings of admiration and sadness swelled within me just as I fell to my knees. The kunoichi in her had saved the most important gear even as she fell, holding on through unconsciousness.

My head hit her chest. I just couldn't hold it up anymore. My brain though buzzed with activity even as my body died. Sakura had performed her duties perfectly. Why couldn't I accomplish mine? All I had to do was stand up, place her onto the platform and fly her to help.

Except there was no help, because I had kept the mission a secret. I couldn't leave Naruto behind, not after I put him within Kabuto's reach. A trail of blood leaked from my mouth, further staining her shirt. I heard her heartbeat. My hand slid into my field of view. An ugly, scarred piece of flesh; a tool for me until now. I wrapped it around her warm fingers. It was so much more than that.

I closed my eyes.

* * *

Somehow, it wasn't my time to go.

I sat up with ease, patted my chest to check whether my injuries were still there or not.

"Don't worry, I've patched you up."

I twisted around to the source of the voice. It was Sakura. She looked up from the map unrolled on her lap.

"Well, don't look at me like that!" she said with a slight blush. "I only did my job."

I smiled back before looking around. We were surrounded by a metal dome, about two meters on height. Pinpoint holes provided light, and behind me was a door. I didn't need to check that it only opened to Sakura. I _knew_ only her fingers could fit the grooves on the handle perfectly. What was worrying was that I didn't remember making it.

"Kenobi? You're looking pale."

I opened my mouth to reassure her, but my tongue stuck to my teeth.

"Water." I croaked.

She passed me a bottle. I swilled a mouthful and spat out the congealed blood. I repeated until the taste left my mouth. The kunoichi patted my back. I turned to face her.

"I'm fine now, really, you did a good job." I pointed to my flank. "There was nasty hole here… and my…" I looked up to find her cheeks pink. "… clothes were all ripped up."

She was wearing her ninja gear. I wore something that smelled like it belonged to Naruto.

"Well _thank you_. I would have done the same."

Her face turned red. I hid my grin. She was so delightfully ticklish. Having defused the tension, I cleared my throat and moved to the map.

"Where are we?"

The girl pushed her bangs behind her ears and shuffled next to me.

She pointed at a small cross marked with a pencil. "We're here."

"North?"

She reached out turned the map lengthways. I closed my eyes for a second. Sakura frowned and waited.

"Got it. Kabuto's right here." I said at last. A pencil appeared in her hands and the circled the spot I pointed at. "I've placed a tracer on him."

"You did?"

"His glasses. Found out he was quite fond of them." My expression turned grim at the memory. "That was before he reverse-summoned Naruto. We have to get him back, but he could be anywhere."

Sakura crossed her arms and leaned against the dome's wall. "Reverse summoning? I was asleep, so tell me how it happened."

"You weren't asleep Sakura, you'd been placed under genjutsu." I saw her look away. "Don't feel bad about it. So… Kabuto came up to Naruto and unrolled a scroll next to him, then placed two fingers on Naruto before making him disappear with…err, the Ram seal?"

"The seals don't matter. From the sound of it, it was substitution technique using a seal to boost the range. Even so, he can't have been sent so far."

"That's…"

"Great! Only a few hundred meters." She rushed to scribble on the map, her eyes bright. "Here, look. This is our search area. We can cover it in a few hours!"

I eyed the hashed circle in silence. After a few moments, I shook my head.

"No, we can't waste a few hours. Naruto's earpiece has its own magnetic field, but I can't reach it." Sakura looked crestfallen. I continued, trying to hide the anger in my voice. "It's better if we wait. In half an hour, I can sweep the area with much more detail."

"You can find Naruto?"

I nodded firmly before gesturing for the pencil. She handed it to me. With it, I plotted a series of checkpoints leading back to Konoha.

"Each of these is a relay. I've stored a lot of power in cylinders buried outside the village, and I've come up with a method to use it at a distance by moving it through these points."

She frowned, thoughtful. "Like electricity… no, like radio? The message is sent from the village, and these are the retransmission towers."

"Close, but not quite." I answered in an amused tone. "There's no continuous communication between the source and here. I can only move one large magnetic field at a time, then I have to store it locally until it is drained. That's what happened while I was fighting Juugo." She blinked. "Juugo… is the name of the monster I first fought. He was a guinea pig for Orochimaru's experiments, and was entirely controlled by Kabuto. But underneath all that, it was a man."

The kunoichi turned silent. While she stared absent-mindedly at the crosses and circles on the map, I saw her rub her fingers on the knuckles of her right hand, as if to remove a stain.

"Sakura…"

Her gaze was blank. I grabbed her shoulder and shook her back to attention.

"Sakura! You didn't kill him. You saved me and _I _did it."

She turned moist eyes towards me before breathing in sharply.

"Kenobi… I-" she said, her voice wobbly and threatening to break into tears. She clenched her fists and stood up. "I need some air."

I didn't stop her as she stormed out of the shelter. I watched her dash between the trees, before climbing up one and stay there. Shortly afterwards, a tree-splitting crack resounded through the forest. I hesitated for a second, but moved to follow her nonetheless.

I found her thirty meters above the ground, a splash of pink hidden in the green sea of leaves. I sighed, recalling what she'd gone through in the space of a few short hours.

She couldn't hear me from up there, but imposing myself by climbing up after her or using the earpiece would just make her run away. There was only one solution. I spread my arms and gathered a lump of metal between them. A hollow cavity, a stick and tight strings quickly appeared. Once the instrument was ready, I walked to the base of the tree.

I sat on the grass, tilted my head back and played the guitar.

* * *

It didn't take long.

"Oh get up here you idiot!" she cried.

"You sure?"

Her voice sounded strained. "Don't make me come down there!"

A few seconds later, I seated myself next to her. From her perch, I had a clear view all the way to the jagged mountains on the horizon. Warm sunlight illuminated the vast stretches of greenery in between. It was a magnificent sight, but I turned to watch her instead. From the wet lines on her cheeks, I deduced that she had been crying.

Somehow, I felt sad that she had chosen to hide her tears.

"How-how much time left?" she asked with a sniffle.

"Around half an hour." I waved my finger towards the east. "I'm moving three at once to create a larger reserve."

She frowned and faced me. Tears still clung to her eyelashes. "I saw the diagram on the map. If you move the three closest relays here, then the connection with Konoha will be cut. What'll happen if you run out? It already took you an hour just to move them in position-"

"Sakura!" I caught her hand and gripped it. "Everything's going to be fine, so stop worrying!"

I held her stare without backing down. "I can do it. I'll find a way to get Naruto back with what I have at my disposal." Our eyes wandered down to our intertwined fingers. "The question is… are _you_ ready?"

The kunoichi gasped and retracted her hand. "What kind of a question is that?! I'll do anything to save Naruto."

"Yes, I know, but are you ready to?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

I shifted closer to whisper. A gust of wind rustled the mass of leaves around us, creating an ominous hiss.

"You hide but I can still see your tears. What's wrong, Sakura?" She shifted back against the tree trunk, looking away. "You know you can't fool me. I'm here for you. I still remember my promise from that night."

"What night?" she whispered. I waited. "Oh."

The silence between us lengthened. While she made up her mind, I listened to the swaying branches.

Finally, she spoke. "It's that… Juugo."

"I understand. I thought you'd be ready to do what is needed by now." Her shoulders slumped. "Naruto, and ninja of his level, don't have the same problems you and I do. When an enemy falters, we can't afford to talk and try to convince them. We have to deal with them permanently."

Sakura shuddered at my words. I reprised before her tendency to blame herself got carried away. "Listen, Sakura. If you're still not mentally prepared to-"

"I am!" she blurted out. I looked at her. She was trembling with rage. "I can do it! If you hadn't killed Juugo, I would have! All the rest of them too, if I had to." Suddenly, she collapsed, as if exhausted. "It's just that… _everything_. Since last night-"

"I know. You nearly died. Twice. Naruto got kidnapped as well… and you're suffering from memory loss." She perked up at the mention of what had been troubling her. "You haven't once mentioned Kabuto."

"Him?" She looked genuinely confused. "What's he got to do with all this?"

I sighed. "He's the one who attacked and set his experiments on us. I told you once, but the blood loss and heart attack… combined, they must have affected your memory."

"That's not possible!" This time, she sounded nearly hysterical. "I still remember everything! I can- I can tell the number of enemies who followed us up into the air. I can tell you what I found in the backpack you handed me-"

"Stop it! If it was anything serious, I would have mentioned it earlier. Now calm down and listen to me."

"Fine." she muttered, still frowning. I cleared my throat and continued.

"The fact remains; we're going to face a lot more of those monsters where we're heading. I need to know… if you put all you've got into the fight."

Sakura didn't answer. Her reaction though… spoke volumes. Her fists clenched, her brow was furrowed and her gaze shifted left and right. She was trying to take a difficult decision. I helped her with it.

I reached out slowly, placed my arms around her and pulled her against me. Sakura froze, but as I held her tight against my chest, she let go and sunk into it with a shudder. Her back felt warm against my chest, her shoulder under my hand frail despite the strength it held.

"I'll rephrase the question. Will you follow me when I go to save Naruto?"

She rubbed the back of her head against my jaw in a nod. "I will."

I felt her arms pull mine tighter around her. I couldn't help but smile. This was my Sakura to protect and love.

"Kenobi…" she whispered. "How do you do it? Why do you never hesitate to take a life?"

My thoughts wandered before I answered. A month ago, I would have answered differently. How much had I changed?

Sakura continued. "When I spoke to Yamato… I asked about you." She looked up, searching for my eyes. "He said you'd find your own reasons."

I met her question with a smile. "I did. All I have to do is picture you back there bleeding out and dying in front of me, and I have all the motivation I need."

She gripped me tighter.

"Kenobi… I-I think I…"

Something about her tone made me hold my breath.

"Yes?"

"No, it's nothing. How much time do we have left?"

I breathed out, feeling weak inside. "Ten minutes."

"Let's get going then."

The kunoichi slipped out of my arms and jumped down without looking back. I remained on the branch for a while longer, finalizing the positioning of the magnetic relays. When Sakura's heart had stopped beating, I feared I had lost everything. I clearly recalled the emotions that washed over me when she had re-opened her eyes and returned my kiss. It was a storm of happiness and anger, but above the haze, a promise stood out. A promise I made to her, from deep within me. 'I'll protect you forever'.

I sighed and stood up. Sakura didn't remember.

* * *

I landed behind her.

The kunoichi flexed her arms, staring straight ahead. Her pose was confident, ready for action. I closed my eyes momentarily.

"Is it ready?" she asked.

"It's already done. I've located Naruto."

The young ninja drew a kunai from her pouch and twirled it in her fingers.

"Well then, let's go rescue him!"

Without waiting for my answer, she kicked the ground and launched herself into the air.

* * *

**Loteva: **Fixed!

**war sage: **Speedy as ever XD


	25. Part 7: The Grind

**Summary**: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Rated T** for some language and violence.

The long awaited... (maybe)... chapter 25!

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**PART 7:**

**THE GRIND**

A pale morning glow filtered through the trees.

Only a slight breeze filled the gaps between them, for nothing lived in this forest. It was through this eerie décor that Sakura and I followed Naruto's signal.

"I found an entrance!"

I skidded to a halt, Sakura dropping behind silently.

"You did?" she asked, perplexed. "Where?"

I turned to see her search the surroundings intensely. The kunoichi was completely oblivious to what I now faced: an armored hatch sunken into the soil with a tag spelling "Hidden" on it.

"Sakura." She twisted around, missing me.

"Where are you?"

I frowned. "Right here." I stepped away from the entrance.

"How-" she gasped, immediately bringing her hands together to dispel a jutsu.

"No!" I cried, reaching to stop her. "It's a genjutsu. I think it stops you from seeing. It surrounds an underground entrance, right here." I waved at the area behind me. "If you dispel it, it might alert Kabuto!"

"Oh… fine" Sakura grumbled.

I offered a hand. She took, it perplexed. "I'm guiding you through the area of effect, so hold on."

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The underground entrance turned out to open only from the inside. Fortunately, it was made of iron, so I got past by opening a hole in the metal without disturbing the tag. It led to a flight of unlit stairs leading deep under the forest.

"I think this is the end." I whispered.

"End of what?"

"These stairs… they can't be the main entrance. They're a one way exit… maybe an emergency escape route. They don't go any further, I can feel something metallic in the way." I let go of her hand. She held on. "Sakura, you can't get lost in here."

She spoke quickly, with an edge of nervousness. "I can't see in this darkness. Come on. Can you get us past?"

"It's a metal door, so give me a minute to work the lock." I pulled her closer. "Emm, Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

I took a deep breath.

"I don't know what's on the other side, so…" I said, before hesitating. I didn't know how she would take it. "I wanted to tell you…"

"You don't have to say it. I know."

I turned to face her. Pitch black darkness hid her from me despite the short distance that separated us.

The words came out despite myself. "Don't come back for me. If I tell you to leave, go."

"That's not-"

"What you expected to hear?" I sighed. "I created this mess. I can't lose you to it."

Her response was curt. "_No_. I was going to say that it is not _your_ decision to make."

"I…"

"When the time comes, I'll be the one choosing what to do. You can't boss me around like that."

"Yes, but-"

"Kenobi!" she hissed.

I paused mid-sentence. Could she not see how guilty I felt? How could I convince Sakura that if I lost her too, then it would all have been for nothing? I could hear her breaths echo softly in the enclosed space, her hand held firmly in mine, the heat radiating from her body… if only I could reach out and explain how I felt.

She did it in my place.

I felt her arms slide behind my neck and pull me against her. I wrapped myself around her in return without hesitation, thanking whatever entity had granted my wish.

I pressed my cheek against hers. "I'm so sorry." I whispered.

"Don't be."

With a final squeeze, she let go. I felt refreshed. I felt confident. I felt her by my side, both literally and figuratively. Somehow, I knew that as long as I held onto her hand, I wouldn't lose her.

"Let's go get Naruto now."

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Carefully, I unlocked the door.

Light flooded the staircase. I blinked as it grew in intensity, until the door had swung fully open. Sakura walked out in front of me.

Quickly adjusting, I inspected the surroundings. I established with a quick survey that nothing moved. I could relax for now.

The door was in fact the back of a bookcase. I stepped out and pushed it shut. What I had guessed was an emergency exit disappeared seamlessly into the wall.

I looked around. Several torches lined the walls, illuminating what I realized was a study room. Scrolls were piled up on shelves running in all direction. They were tall enough to touch the ceiling. Giant preservation jars served as decorations, inhabited by ghastly corpses. In the center of the carpeted floor was a vast desk laden with ink pots, white paper and even a primitive computer.

"Look here!"

I shuffled next to Sakura, on my guard. The kunoichi was holding up a scroll, the ink on it still wet.

"Naruto is mentioned here… and here." She looked up to face me. "It's recent."

I scowled in consternation. "Does it say anything about his condition?"

Sakura stared are the writing for a few seconds. "I… I don't think so. These are only notes about the Bijuu."

"Damn."

I circled around the desk, eyeing the only visible door in the room.

"We've got to hurry." I continued. "You see all the scrolls on the desk? That's got to be his recent work." She nodded. "How many can you seal for transport?"

She immediately reached inside her pouch. I left her to take care of sealing some scrolls to take with us, and headed to the door at the other end of the room.

It had a wooden frame, but no lock. I stared pensively at it. If the ink was still wet on the notes Kabuto had taken… then he could not have gone far. In fact, he could return any time now. Gasping with realization, I grabbed a handful of metal and molded it into a weapon pointed at the door.

Sakura saw the shape take form in the air and ducked under the desk. I flattened myself next to the doorframe and waited, a blade in hand. Seconds passed. Silence.

With a quick sign, I indicated for Sakura to come over. She grabbed another scroll, crammed it into her pouch and hopped next to me. I tapped my ear once she positioned herself against the wall.

"Sakura." I transmitted. "Kabuto is still here. We have to move."

"Got it."

I moved towards the door. The kunoichi grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Hey!"

I faced her, astonished.

"I have to be in front. I'm the close range fighter! Remember that." She stepped in front of me and placed a hand on the door knob. "Now get behind me."

I obeyed her silently. It wasn't exactly the configuration I had hoped for. She held up three fingers and began counting down. I cleared my mind, readied myself to fight… and seek revenge.

What? I paused, surprised by my own thoughts. Why would I look forward to payback when Kabuto was no more than a program scripted to act that way?

Sakura pulled open the door. I rushed out behind her.

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The underground base we were in was nothing like the one we had last visited.

The door had opened to corridor, a downwards-sloping path both dusty, narrow and filthy. The air was thick and laden with a musty odor. Barely illuminating the rough-cut rock walls were unevenly spaced torches. Many were burnt out, leading to long stretches of darkness.

I followed Sakura closely. There was no need to stay back; my projectiles could run down the entire pathway unhindered.

"See anything?" she whispered.

I used her earpiece to reply. "You've got the better eyesight."

The kunoichi didn't answer. We resumed our crouching run in silence.

Minutes later, I tapped her shoulder. She didn't stop until we were halfway between two torches, where it was harder to spot us.

"What now?" she hissed, nose crinkled.

"I used the distance we travelled to calculate the distance to Naruto's position." I pointed down through the floor. "He's around five hundred steps in that direction."

"We should hurry if we're that close."

I shook my head. "No, think about it for a bit. It's a huge distance between the study room and where Kabuto's keeping him." Sakura frowned and leaned against the rock wall, listening. "The only place he'd want to keep himself eight hundred meters from is where he conducts his experiments. We'd be walking straight into his laboratory. And if Juugo is anything to go by, we're going to meet some pretty lethal stuff in there."

"I get you point. But-" Her eyes flashed dangerously. "If you're correct, then we can't leave Naruto in there any longer."

"Isn't it-"

"Kenobi! I don't know what he's doing to Naruto and I won't leave him there any longer!"

I hesitated to counter. A good look revealed all the signs of her distress and knew she couldn't be reasoned. She'd rush ahead alone if I told her to slow down.

With a sigh, I nudged her forward. "Let's go then."

I heard her let out the breath she'd been holding in.

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We covered the remaining ground in minutes.

"Stop!" I shouted.

Sakura dug her feet in, skidding to a halt. I reversed the push of my magnetic fields until I had slowed down enough to jump off the metal platform and trot. Closing the path was massive armor-plated wall. A thick-set hatch sealed it hermetically.

"It's metal! Can you get though it?"

I placed my hands on the obstacle to speed up the process. "Already done. Stand back."

The kunoichi shuffled backwards. The metal plating lost all shape and practically flowed down to the floor. Without hesitation, she jumped through the hole I had made and picked up speed. I stole some of the metal and rushed behind her.

A few seconds later, we found ourselves in an empty space.

The corridor simply ended in pitch black nothingness. A slight breeze indicated that we were no longer within its confines. I spotted two dots of light in new area. One was a flickering yellow far ahead. The other was a tiny patch of blue light on the ceiling. It was a window to the _surface_.

I heard her voice in my ear. "How big is this place?!"

"It's a dome." I transmitted. "Wait a second."

I brought myself alongside her. "This place is too massive for us to search through. We're going to have to go there." Sakura looked at where I pointed. The faraway torch looked like a matchstick. "I don't know what we'll find there, so stay on guard."

"Is that where Naruto is?"

"No. He's on a deeper level."

She nodded, consternated. "Let's not stay here then. We're too exposed."

"Agreed. Let me carry you."

Sakura scowled but followed me onto the platform. Seconds later, we halted next to the torch. What we found was even more puzzling than the empty cavern we were in.

"Is that-"

"Sloped and hardened. Vision slits with retractable shields. And this hatch… not even you could punch through it." I stopped circling the squat pyramid and looked up at her. "I think it's an armored observation post."

Sakura frowned. "Looks like it, but… to observe what?" She waved her hands at the emptiness behind us. "What is this place?"

"The Pit."

We both jumped at the voice. It boomed from all sides. A decidedly Kabuto-like chuckle followed.

The voice reverberated once again. "Oh do excuse the barbaric term the inhabitants have come up with." Our gazes met. _Inhabitants?_ "This is where my more explosive experiments are held. I designed it myself." The voice, which I was now sure was Kabuto's, made him seem proud of his achievement.

"What do we do now?" Sakura whispered. I motioned for her to keep quiet. Kabuto continued, oblivious to the exchange. I deduced that he could not see us.

"It's not often that I have the opportunity to do some _pest_ control like now, so I think I'll go ahead and get some useful information out of it. I've followed your performance in the forest closely, Kenobi." His words echoed ominously. "I've created a short test. It won't last long, I assure you."

Kabuto snapped his fingers over the microphone.

One by one, torches burst into flames and cleared the darkness. Sakura and I watched tensely as they made formed circle, casting long wavering pillars of light. Sparsed between the torches in the distance were the inhabitants the medic-nin had mentioned. Pale, misshaped figures crawled and stumbled in all directions. They were only barely humanoid.

"These are my creations!" Kabuto exclaimed. "My first attempt, I admit. They are a rough draft of what I intend to create: artificial warriors, built for war and loyal to the letter." A pained moan rose from the monsters in return. I counted hundreds of them. "I'm working on something better now… but I still have one last use for these."

The monsters stilled. Sakura turned still next to me. All around us, rows upon rows of twisted flesh started moving in unison… closing in on our position.

Kabuto's voice boomed through the speakers. It was raw with anger and hate. "You made me lose something dear to me, Kenobi. My creations cannot be crushed so easily and they _will _exact my vengeance. Prepare yourself! Put up a show and keep me entertained… anything less and something precious to you will be lost."

"What's he talking about?" Sakura whispered.

"You." I faced her. "He's probably targeting you to get to me."

The voice in the speakers broke. "I can't repair them! I-I… can't put them back together again." the man whined. "You've taken away the only thing I held onto throughout the years. My face, my loyalty, my soul… all changed but these glasses were the only constant."

Sakura looked perplexed. "His glasses?"

I nodded, eyeing the moving masses around us. "I broke them. Made him angry."

"I… see." she said.

Silence settled over the cave. I felt Sakura tremble by my side, breath heavy. I took her hand. She gulped and looked at me, before returning her gaze to our opponents. They were still shuffling slowly.

"Sakura." I whispered. "I'm here."

She looked down and shut her eyes tightly, fingers gripping my hand.

"We can do this."

The kunoichi nodded, gulping.

I squeezed her fingers and let go. She gave me one last look. Torchlight reflected on her pupils, a fire that came as much from the inside as the outside. I clenched my fist to capture the lingering heat of her touch. I would protect that warmth; that was my promise.

A chill then passed down my spine.

The monsters snapped into a runs. Nothing announced the charge other than a rush of wind and the clicks of their claws on the stone floor.

"Get down!"

Sakura crouched back-to-back and pulled a weapon from her pouch. I extended my magnetic touch upwards. Six linear accelerators aimed at their targets, vibrating with magnetic energy.

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A thunderclap rolled over the walls.

The first wave of grey flesh exploded. Metal spears carved corridors down the mass of assailants. Before the echoes subsided, dozens had been turned into mangled flesh. More monsters stumbled from the shower of splintered bone and shattered rock.

However, hundreds remained. The swarm continued without care for their fallen comrades, hopping above the corpses and shoving the injured aside.

I gritted my teeth and recharged the accelerators. Sakura was immobile, probably thinking up of a plan. I left her to deal with our tactical options and gazed ahead. Barely a hundred meters separated us from the charging mass now.

I fired again.

The second volley was equally devastating. No cries of pain covered the wet tearing sounds. The uneven lighting meant I could not evaluate the full number of monsters we faced, nor the proportion I had eliminated, but their lines had certainly been thinned. The floor was littered with their dead behind them.

"Sakura!" The kunoichi's eyes remained locked on the approaching creatures. "We have to move, now! We can't let them circle us."

"Got it." she replied.

The air rippled behind my back. I followed her, jumping over the nightmarish sea of grey. After landing, it took me a second to understand her plan. We had retreated to the corridor. Sakura had evaluated the size of the creatures and planned to funnel them down to a single column. That way, instead of being overwhelmed, _we_ would outnumber our opponents two-to-one when we fought them one at a time.

"How much have you got left?" the kunoichi questioned.

"Huh?"

I was busy tracing my fingers along the edges of the armored door I had melted through earlier. If I could reform it and turn the terrain to my own advantage-

"Your reserves! How much remains?!"

"Ah-"

My fingers froze. "Half." I looked up at her. "I'm down to half my power."

"What the-" Sakura bit her lip, fists clenched. She sent a nervous glance down the corridor. "What are we going to do now?!"

I thought hard. The cannons cost me too much to use, and I had fifteen, maybe twenty seconds before they turned around and reached the tunnel's entrance. "We switch positions. You go in support."

"No!"

"Listen, Sakura. We don't have time. I'll block a monster's movements, and you come up and destroy it. Do you understand?"

The kunoichi glared at me before stepping back. I turned around and returned to my task. The metal flowed under my fingers, expanding to cover the walls and floor, and narrowing the entrance. It solidified just as I was knocked to my feet. A thunderous shockwave shook the rock around us, generated by the impact of dozens of monsters reaching for the same hole in the wall.

The metal frame creaked and peeled back, but it could only let one creature through.

I peeked through a crack. A pair of furious yellow eyes met mine, floating amidst a two meter tall pool of shadows and muscle. As the creature worked its way through the metal, I saw more of its features. The head was flattened to one side, with disproportionately large jaws sporting a full row of dagger-like teeth. Its arms ended in scythes, each as long as a sword. They were currently being used to pry apart the edges of the hole it had made.

I readied myself. I only had half my reserves left, and hundreds of monsters in front of me. Whatever I used to deal with them, it had to be efficient and quick. The screech of tearing metal snapped me back to the present.

With a tremendous feat of strength, Kabuto's experiment tore through the steel like paper. I barely glimpsed it move before a blade of bone carved the air above my head. I jumped over the second swing, landing flat on my chest.

I saw the monster's muscles bulge in anticipation of another strike. A pink blur crashed into it before it swung down. My eyes widened at the sharpened bone embedded in the floor next to my head.

"Kenobi!"

I jerked to my feet at the cry.

Sakura dodged a furious swing and stepped back, kunai raised. She was caught between her opponent and whatever was clawing its way through the mangled metal behind her.

The monster had turned its back to me. From my sleeve, I drew a length of wire and looped it. Sakura glanced past the monster and nodded.

It attacked.

The monster slashed with its right scythe. The kunoichi sidestepped it swiftly and parried with her knife. Her back was now against the wall. I saw her opponent twist for another strike and acted.

Three loops of metal wire flew though the air and wound themselves around the raised limb. They were instantly stretched taught and snapped one after the other, freeing the blade. The damage was done however. Sakura curled into the opening I had created and struck upwards. With a burst of chakra, her arm tore through the shoulder. The kunoichi mouthed a silent 'Shannaro!' before flesh _exploded_ around her fist.

I raised my arms to avoid getting splattered. Sakura was by my side moments later, panting.

"You okay?" she asked.

I glanced to the side, frowning. _I _was the one going to ask the question. My reply was cut off when I heard the groan.

Its arm and half of its chest lay in chunks at its feet, and yet it was the monster's first sign of pain. My eyes widened when it staggered to its feet and shook its head. Sakura's curse summed up my surprise.

I used her earpiece. "I'll pin it down. Go for the head."

The grey beast reacted as if it had heard me. It entered a frenzy, swinging its remaining scythe right and left and gouging trenches in the walls. There was no way to dodge the strikes. I exchanged a look with the kunoichi and retreated with her.

The monster saw us move backwards. It crouched, legs bending unnaturally. Then… it was over in a second.

It dug its claws into the ground and leaped forward. A shield appeared over my forearm, with which I deflected the scythe. Sakura slid out from behind me, raised her fist and brought it down on the monster as it sailed past.

A cloud of dust accompanied the resulting crash. I nearly lost my footing as fissures ran through the ground, the sound amplified by the narrow corridor. Squinting, I made out the kunoichi's figure. She stepped out of the crater, entire arm slick with grey fluids. Behind her, a pit replaced where the monster's head should have rested. It was fully immobile.

I flashed a smile at her. Her expression eased up and she returned the- a shadow darkened the dust behind her. I rushed to cover her with the shield, arriving moments before three claws carved their marks on the metal.

Sakura jumped away in surprise. I left the shield planted in the ground and stepped back, forming a spear in my hand as I did so. I grimaced when the claws extended and wrapped around the shield, crushing it.

The dust cleared slightly.

Our second opponent was a hideous mix between a werewolf and a squid. It had a wolf's maw and an uneven mane of grey fur. One long, muscular arm ended in a set of daggers, while the other gave way to a several stubby tentacles. They twirled in the air restlessly.

The chimera exhaled. Looking closer, I spotted the cuts it had received pushing its mass past the jagged edges of the metal frame. _His_ jaw slammed shut and lunged for me.

The floor and walls were covered by a sheet of metal. I pulled on it. A pillar of steel rushed upwards, pinning the arm against the ceiling. Tentacles shot out from the side. I rolled against the blow, twisting to drive a spear through them.

The monster howled, both of his arms stuck to the walls. Sakura jumped over me, glowing fist raised for a killing blow. My heart skipped a beat. At the sight of her, the chimera trembled with rage. His muscles bulged and his jaws slammed shut. Metal creaked, and with a mighty pull, he freed his clawed hand. The claws blurred and slammed the kunoichi against the wall.

"Sakura!"

My eyes darted between her crumpled form and the monster's movements. Without hesitation, he ripped the other arm away from the spear, leaving behind half the tentacles. I readied a second spear in my hand and launched myself at him.

Yellow eyes swiveled to track me. Claws shot out. With a last-second magnetic field, I slid past, rolling until I was at Sakura's side. A shield rose just in time to deflect the tentacled strike. I grabbed her wrist.

The monster's eyes were now rolling in their orbits, foam escaping its jaws. Both arms dove in a simultaneous strike. Metal jumped on front of me. When three daggers pierced the temporary defense, they hit nothing but air.

Twenty meters deeper into the tunnel, I slowly unloaded Sakura from my back and lay her on the ground. She hissed in pain. I crouched quickly to roll her onto her other side. Doing so revealed the deep gash running across her ribs.

Her eyes flickered open.

"Stay here, Sakura." I whispered.

The kunoichi gulped and licked her lips. "Give me a minute to heal myself." she said, voice hoarse.

I nodded firmly and stood up. Further down the corridor, the chimera was going crazy. I watched as he spun in circles, biting his own arm and slashing the walls as he went around. Without a doubt, I knew that Kabuto had reduced his experiments to mindless monsters. There was nothing human left in him, nothing but the obligation to follow Kabuto's orders and go insane without a target in sight.

With a sigh, I presented myself to him.

The monster's reaction was instantaneous. He dropped to all fours and clawed at the ground to accelerate in my direction. If I dodged, he'd continue to Sakura's position, so I braced myself for impact.

Instead, I was run over by a train.

The impact sent me tumbling down the corridor. I felt the three dents in my armor poke my chest. Quickly, I planted a spike into the ground to stop myself. My wrist protested painfully, but I ignored it to concentrate on the diving shadow above me.

I rolled just in time to hear bony daggers penetrate the stone next to my head. He stood above me now. I lunged my spear into the unprotected chest and gripped it to stand up.

I lost my footing immediately to a pair of tentacles that wound themselves around my ankle. My eyes widened. The monster's left arm blurred and I felt myself slammed against the ceiling with a sickening crunch. My vision became blurred. Metal flowed down my sleeves, reforming into a weapon. A second pull flung me out of the crater and into a new one in the wall.

I was bleeding. My nose had been broken. My ankle burned from the vice-like grip of the chimera's tentacles, and the monster brought back its claws to impale me.

A surge of energy ran through me. I saw the grey flesh descend slowly, penetrating the air, and soon me too. Just then, two magnetic fields synchronized. I reached out for them and threw them in the claw's path. Steel followed, touching the daggers in a shower of sparks. I blinked. The monster continued forward, pulled by the momentum of his strike. My right hand rose. The spear I held slid into the neck and between the vertebrae in effortlessly.

I exhaled, trembling. Hot fluid flowed down my bruised arm. Slowly, the tentacles around my leg uncurled and fell to the floor. Kabuto's experiment was frozen in place, only his eyes swiveling to give me a murderous stare. Seconds later, the body fell to the floor, immobile.

Taking care not to damage myself further, I climbed out from the pile of rocks I lay in. This was no time to rest. By experience, I knew the monster was unlikely to stay down. Hundreds more were making their way down the corridor. Behind me, I glimpsed the pale green glow from Sakura's healing technique. She was not done yet. Maybe she had broken some bones.

I shook myself back into action.

First, I reformed the armored door, smoothened the damaged metal surfaces and recovered the spears I had used. The last one was still imbedded in the creature's spine. It came out with a scraping, ceramic sound. I closed my eyes and put him out of his misery.

My next step was to move the bodies further back, out of the way of the combat area. I cleared it from debris and crouched next to Sakura.

All I had to do now was wait, a spear in hand, for the next abomination to break through the metal plating.

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The battles were exhausting. The pressure was not only physical, but mental as well.

Each monster that broke through _had _to be defeated. Any other result was unthinkable. There was no escape, no negotiation, nothing but my metal pitted against an unyielding fury.

What worried me the most was Sakura. She was deathly pale. A sheen of sickly sweat dampened her clothes and skin. Every use of her destructive technique left her shaking until she recovered. The problem was, it was taking her longer and longer to gather enough chakra for another use, and many times I had to defeat my opponent without her.

My own condition was not better.

I flipped in the air, passing over a vicious pair of pincers. I stuck my sandals to the ceiling and gathered the surrounding metal in front of me. Instants later, a blast of water exploded against it. I moved before the air cleared again.

Gaining magnetic traction on the walls, I ran behind the creature and lunged with the spear. With a crunch, the sharp metal pierced the chitin plating. I dodged out of the way of the twitching tail armed with serrated bones and commanded my metal to take the dying corpse away.

I drew in a ragged gulp of air.

Yes, I couldn't keep this up. My lungs burned, and my muscles felt as if acid ran through them. My heart… well, it was still beating. I scratched my hair and concentrated on the armored barrier. It would last a bit longer this time.

Once my breath was under control, I walked over to where Sakura was propped up against the wall.

"Ke-nobi." she whispered once I neared. "I'm sorry…"

"Enough!"

The kunoichi looked downcast.

"Enough." I repeated softer. "I already told you. You've lost half your blood and I can't remember how many times you've healed the both of us. Stop saying you're sorry. You're doing amazing."

Sakura smiled weakly before her eyelids drooped. I didn't wake her. I'd deal with the next one alone. Reaching for her medical pouch, I pulled out a length of bandaging cloth. I used it to wipe the blood dripping down my wrists and ankles. Protecting my skin from the wire frame's brutal accelerations was the least of my worries.

While I did so, I peered into the darkness at the back of the tunnel. Fifty seven corpses were piled up out of sight in there. I closed my eyes to better remember the scene. Outside were more than three hundred.

Something heavy slammed against the barrier, sending a hollow echo down the corridor. The action was repeated again and again. Slowly but surely, the metal bulged inwards, fissure spreading from the center.

I tightened my fists around the length of metal I held and walked closer. Patches of stone scorched by jets of flame or ground to dust by streams of water surrounded me. Elsewhere, the stone had simply been crushed to bits. It really did look like a battlefield.

Suddenly, I felt something between my toes.

I paused and looked down. My foot had _sunk_ into a patch of wet earth. My brows furrowed before rising in apprehension.

Water was rising through the ground. Puddles were already forming ahead. I could see the ripples on their surface, forming after each blow to the door.

I pictured the tunnel. It was slanted downwards. If water rose from the lower end, we would be trapped when the level reached the height of the entrance. Waiting for them to attack us wouldn't be profitable anymore. The longer we waited, the more water we'd have to go through to reach the main cavern and Naruto.

I spat a curse. They were literally flushing us out.

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"Sakura." I nudged her again. "Sakura, wake up!"

Her heavy eyelids slowly parted. They were ringed with black, and her face was pale with exhaustion. She looked around, taking short breaths.

Her eyes went to the still cooling body behind me, the intricate web of craters, Doton stalagmites and twisted metal, the stream of water flowing through gaps in the steel door into a miniature lake that covered most of the tunnel's floor… The kunoichi then took in my latest set of injuries before her eyelids drooped-

"Wake up!"

She groaned her discomfort. "How long has… it been?"

I stared at her blankly. Underground, I had lost track of time. "I don't know. We can't stay here anymore." I offered her a hand. She took it and I lifted her to her feet. "We're going back to the cave."

Sakura immediately spun, lost her footing and fell leaning against the wall. Her hands went to massage her forehead. "Fucking headache…"

I grinned and moved to hold her upright with one arm. She grudging accepted my support, allowing me to guide her past the deepening pools towards the barrier I was holding up. We paused along the way for her to pick up her medical kit.

"What's that awful noise?" she asked, indicating lazily towards the metal wall. It sounded like a giant dog was trying to dig its way through, scratching the metal repeatedly.

"Our next guest." I said before sighing and touching the metal with my fingers. "I don't have time to deal with it, so I'm going to do this the hard way."

"You mean-"

The accumulated magnetic field pulsed into metal. With a sharp 'bang', the door was slammed into a conical shape, hopefully impaling whatever stood on the other side.

Sakura's eyes widened, gazing at the pit that had appeared in the door. The scratching had stopped.

Her voice was shaky, without the energy she usually put into it. "Didn't that use a lot of your power or something? You're supposed to be saving it!"

I waited for her to get back to breathing calmly before answering.

"Sakura… my reserves are long gone."

Her breath stilled. I winced at how she looked. Her stained outfit, ghastly face and trembling limbs seemed more fitting for a Halloween costume than a trained ninja. As for me… it didn't matter if every inch of my body burned with exhaustion and electric pain. I could recover. She, however, could die of chakra exhaustion.

I snapped her out of her stunned silence. "Let's get going."

She nodded and followed me to the metal door. I opened the tip of the cone to create a looking hole. Satisfied by the absence of nearby monsters, I widened the opening to let us through. Sakura crawled behind me on the slick metal surface.

Behind the barrier was… well, not a battlefield, but a twisted version of an insect collector's cabinet. All over the walls, dead creatures of all shapes and sizes were pinned by metal spears. The stench was unbearable. The water level was knee deep, thick with strange blood and ichors.

"You did all this?"

I nodded. "You helped me, if you can't remember." We sloshed past a mass of grey flesh which had burst like a ripe fruit. "That'd be your work."

The kunoichi averted her gaze, sickened. "Where's the rest?" she asked.

"I don't really know. Kabuto ordered them to attack _you_, so when they couldn't see you anymore... they just stopped following us." I pulled my foot out of the muddy water with a squelch. "They're still outside the corridor though."

A few minutes later, we faced another metal barrier. Behind us, spaced at regular intervals, were silver rings indicating the previous limits I had set for the combat zone.

Sakura's voice was wheezy and weak from the short walk. "What's behind this?"

I poked it with a finger, creating a hole. A stream of water flew out. "I think we're going to have to swim."

The kunoichi cracked her fingers and began stretching. Some color returned to her face. I turned around to face the barrier again, trying to think of a plan that would get both us back to the cave through an unknown distance of water.

I stepped to the side and pulled a spear from one of the impaled creatures. Its jaw moved languishly.

"Sakura!"

She looked up from her medical pouch.

"Hold on to me."

Sakura nodded, popped something into her mouth and crouched behind me. I planted the metal spear into the wet soil and locked my fingers around it magnetically. Her arms made their way around my waist and gripped tightly. I allowed myself a short smile.

"Ready?"

"Go!"

A magnetic field flickered into existence and pushed the metal barrier side like a curtain.

I held by breath. Sakura's grip tightened. A wall of water burst through the gap and exploded into the corridor.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I basically have a full-time job now. Combined with the heat and exhaustion of fasting during summer, it doesn't leave much time for me to type freely. So yeah, it took me over a month to write a measly 6k words. At least I hope you enjoy them.


End file.
